Genesis
by princessangelita
Summary: The Mallrats and their friends find themselves on an island called Genesis, the home of several other tribes. Set after Tribe season 5. Full summary inside. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Genesis**

**By Princess Angelita**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Tribe characters, just this plot and any original characters.

**Summary:** The Mallrats and their friends land on an island called Genesis, where several different tribes live. Will they accept the Mallrats? Will the Mallrats find any old friends? Can Amber stand not being in charge? Will Ebony be able to resist the urge for power? Set after Tribe series 5.

**Rating:** M for mature themes.

Chapter 1: Iris

A young woman walked briskly down a yellow-walled corridor, hung with copies of paintings of Renaissance masters, in what used to be one of the best resort-hotels in New Zealand. The woman was of average height and slim, her body covered in a floor-length light blue linen dress, from which milk-white arms and neck emerged gracefully. Her face, although not beautiful, was lovely in the classic lines of her chin, jaw, and cheekbones, along with full red-painted lips, a Grecian nose, and enormous almond-shaped ocean blue eyes. A thick black braid entwined with silver threads swished back and forth behind her, reaching down past her waist. Her regal bearing and air of confidence and pride made her stand out from the four other young women walking just behind her, as did the diamond tiara she wore on her head.

The woman turned into another corridor that led up to huge, rose-carved mahogany double doors. She paused in front of them as the two black-clad guards, both carrying sniper rifles, bowed deeply to her, and then opened the doors to allow her access. The room she stepped into was large, airy, and beautiful. The walls were pale blue, the floor-to-ceiling windows draped with delicate white gauze curtains. Two silver-trimmed French doors opened out onto a granite balcony which overlooked a huge garden. The carpet was thick and dark blue in color, the four-poster bed was hung with blue chiffon and made up with a blue satin comforter embroidered with green and yellow daffodils. Several bookshelves stood on one wall, and were filled with books of all kinds. Two tall lamps stood beside the bed, their shades bleached white as snow.

She and her companions didn't stop there, however. They walked through the bedroom into another set of double doors, entering a white marble bathroom containing a giant Roman spa tub, two sinks, and large mirrors hung all over the light blue walls. Vases of calla lilies and white roses were placed in strategic places all around the room, filling the air with a sweet scent. Two of the girls who had been following the first hurried forward to open a door that revealed a spacious closet hung with dresses of various colors, fabrics, and styles. The other two girls followed the first inside and began to undress her.

"I wonder who is on the boat," one of the girls, a plump, red-headed girl in a pale green dress commented as she swiftly pulled the pins holding the tiara in place out of her mistress's black hair. "I'm anxious to know that myself, Sarai," the woman with the black hair said quickly, watching the goings-on through a mirror on the wall. Sarai's cornflower blue eyes flashed excitedly. "I hope it's someone interesting." One of the other girls, a pale, skinny woman with long, curly brown hair and large brown eyes turned to look at Sarai, her arms filled with the silken folds of an ocean-blue, full-skirted dress. "I hope whoever is on there isn't someone evil," she said solemnly. Sarai sniffed. "Not that one, Rose," the black haired woman said before Sarai could reply. "I think the Mary blue satin, the one embroidered at the hem, will do for this occasion."

Rose laid the ocean-blue dress back on a shelf and walked to the other side of the closet. "My lady, what will we do if they are hostile?" another of the girls, one with brown hair and dreamy hazel eyes asked as she glanced through a large ebony jewelry box, her gray dress draped neatly in folds around her chair. "I have already ordered Malik to assemble his troops and meet us at the harbor, Tessie," the black-haired woman said thoughtfully. "But I asked that their weapons be concealed. If the people on the boat are friendly, it would not look good on our part to appear warlike." She turned to the last girl, the youngest of the five, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl dressed in yellow linen who was rummaging through a shelf of shoes. "The silver embroidered shoes from Pakistan, Delia," she told her.

Delia flushed slightly and pulled the box containing the shoes out from their place on the shelf. "My lady, do you think these people are the Techno tribe Alistair told us about?" Tessie asked, setting several small jewel boxes aside. "If they are, there won't be enough on the boat to be able to overcome Malik's troops. Remember girls, there are a hundred men with weapons waiting at the harbor, and the boat couldn't possibly hold more than twenty people. The black-haired woman stood up and allowed the others to dress her. The girls worked in silence until they were finished. They stood back, admiring their work, as the black-haired woman surveyed herself in a full-length mirror. "Wonderful job, girls," she said. "I think this is the right outfit, don't you?" The girls murmured their assents, Delia staring at her mistress with rapt eyes.

"You look so beautiful, my lady," she whispered gleefully. The woman smiled at her just as a knock came from the bathroom door. A woman in a white cap and white dress leaned her head in. "Queen Iris, the boat has docked," she said quietly. "Thank you, Marian," Iris said, taking one last look at herself in the mirror. "Girls?" She strode out of the room, her women behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Boat

Amber, Jay, Lex, Slade, Ebony, May, Ellie, and Jack stood at the edge of the boat as it came close to the pier. The crowd of people gathering at the ocean's edge worried them, especially those dressed all in black. "There has to be over two hundred people waiting there!" Slade remarked, his eyes wide with speculation. "Yes and half of them are dressed in black, and they look like they mean business," Amber said with a worried frown. "They look like soldiers," Ebony said sullenly, staring out at the crowd. "Well that's a first," Lex commented dryly, crossing his arms across his chest. "I actually agree with Ebony on something." Ebony shot him a caustic look but said nothing.

"I think the best thing to do is for only a few of us to get out at one time," Jay said slowly. "I'll go." "I'll go too," Amber said immediately. Jay took her shoulders in his hands. "No. You should stay here with Bray. If they try anything, you can get away." Amber opened her mouth to argue but Ebony beat her to it. "That's no good, Jay," she said, turning to her former lover. "We can't get off the boat until it's docked, and once it's docked, we're stuck." "See?" Amber said with a small smile. "And did you actually think I would leave you?" Jay smiled back and kissed her on the forehead lightly. Ebony's lip curled a little and she turned back to face the crowd.

"I think only a few should get off at first," Slade said. "It would be safer for the others, if we talk to the leaders here and explain the situation." Amber nodded. "Yes, I agree. Who wants to go?" "I'm definitely going," Ebony said immediately. Amber was stuck between relief and annoyance. Although she disliked Ebony, she had to admit, Ebony was great in a fight. Amber nodded at her. "So I take it you're coming too, Slade?" Slade nodded his agreement. "And me," Lex interjected. "You'll need me if there's a fight." Amber smiled at her fellow Mallrat. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Lex," she said. "You've proven yourself more than once." Lex looked a little taken aback at the praise and gave her a smirk in reply.

"Anyone else?" Amber asked. "I'll go," came a voice from behind her. She turned to see Ram staring out at the crowd. Darryl was standing beside him. "You'll need someone with brains in case something goes wrong," Ram continued. Amber rolled her eyes, but nodded. "I'm going too," Darryl said with a sheepish grin. "All right, so that's me, Jay, Lex, Slade, Ebony, Darryl and Ram. I think that's enough." She turned to Jack, May, and Ellie. "You three don't mind, do you?" They shook their heads. "I'll go tell Salene and Trudy, and see how Ruby's doing," Ellie said as she walked away. "She's not doing well at all," Ram said quietly. Out of the corner of her eye, Amber saw Ebony's face turn pale. It was a look she had seen before . . . Ebony's guilty look. And surprisingly, Amber thought, she could see sorrow as well.

"That really sucks for Ruby," Lex sighed. "She's a great girl." "Yeah, she is," Slade said, looking upset. Ram looked over at Slade, then at Ebony. "I don't think she's going to make it," he said, keeping his eyes on the woman he hated. "There's bruising on her torso that suggests broken ribs, which means she might have internal bleeding." "Then maybe we can find someone here who can help," said the ever optimistic Jay. Gel interrupted by pushing herself into the middle of the crowd with Sammy in tow. "If you're going ashore I want to go!" she cried. "I smell like fish! And that Lottie is getting on my nerves!" "She really does stink!" Sammy interjected, making Gel shriek with dismay. Amber rolled her eyes. "You are going to stay here, Gel, and for God's sake, shut up! We all smell!"

Gel pouted and stormed off in a fury. Amber sighed, stifling the urge to throw the girl off the ship. She turned back to the others. "We're almost there," she said. "Are you ready?" Lex, Jay, Ebony, Darryl and Slade nodded. Ram merely flicked his eyes at her. "We're as ready as we'll ever be," Slade said with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Genesis

Jay held out his hand to help Amber out of the boat. As she jumped down, he leaned in close to her ear. "The men in black have weapons," he whispered. "They're well concealed, but are there nevertheless." Amber nodded and looked over at the crowd of people with a worried look. She, Jay, Ebony, Slade, Lex, Darryl, and Ram stood in a tight group as ten of the black-clad men broke rank and marched forward, following one man with a red sash around his waist and an authoritative look in his eyes.

The man was about nineteen years old, with brown hair and eyes, tall and very muscular. He had a scar along his right cheekbone that looked as if it had been made with a knife, as well as scars on his knuckles and hands. The man stopped right in front of the Mallrats while his men stopped with military-like precision about five paces behind him, in two rows of five. "Who are you and why have you come here?" the man asked. Amber stepped forward, earning her a glare from Ebony.

"We are the Mallrats, from the city," she said politely. "We have come here because our home was destroyed and we had to leave." The man looked her up and down with an impassive expression. "How was your home destroyed?" he asked. Amber drew in a breath. "It is a long story," she began. "One that must be told before I allow you access to the island and its inhabitants," the man said severely. Amber sighed and told him of the new virus and the explosion that caused them to leave.

The man's face showed no signs of panic as she mentioned the virus. Instead, he waited until she was finished before asking another question. "You are sure none of you carry the virus?" he asked carefully. "No," Ram broke in, "if we were, we would have become sick long before this." The man glanced at Ram with narrowed eyes. "You look a lot like the Technos we have heard so much about," he told him. "We were Technos, but we aren't any longer," Jay assured the man. The man nodded. "We have another ex-Techno here," he said before turning back to Amber.

"What is your purpose in coming to this island?" he asked. "We didn't come here, specifically," Amber told him. "We just let the boat go as fast and far away as we could. But we are very low on supplies, we haven't bathed in weeks, and so many people on one little boat is getting to us. We have a sick woman on the boat, as well as two children." "I thought you said none of you had the virus!" the man exclaimed. "She doesn't have the virus," Ram said. "She was hit by a truck before we left the city. Ruby is severely wounded, and doesn't look like she's going to make it."

The man's brow furrowed. "Please excuse me for a moment," he said, and walked several yards away, taking a walkie-talkie from his belt. He spent several minutes speaking to someone before coming back. "Our medics are on the way," he told the group. "They will take the wounded woman to our hospital and do what they can for her. I am to take the rest of you to see the Queen." "The Queen?" Amber asked, her eyebrow raising. "Your leader?" The man nodded. "Yes. Queen Iris is in charge here. It will be she who decides whether or not you may stay." "And who are you?" Lex asked, speaking up for the first time. The man turned to him. "Forgive me. My name is Malik. I am the leader of the Troops, the military tribe of the island." Lex looked a bit taken aback at his politeness.

"It would be best if you got the rest of your tribe off the boat," Malik said, watching as an ambulance drove slowly down to the pier. Two men and two women dressed in white got out and came down the pier with a stretcher between them. "You have ambulances?" Amber asked Malik. "Yes. We have converted the ambulances to work on solar power. The ambulances stand out in the sun during the day so they can be used during nights if needed. We have no other running cars." Amber looked stunned for a moment, then turned to Darryl and asked him to tell the others to get off the boat.

"What other things do you have here?" Ram asked as the others began climbing off the boat. "We have electricity, thanks to the manuals on how to run the plant left by those who worked here before the virus," Malik told him. "We have a sort of Internet, used when we need to announce or advertise something. We have a hospital, run mostly off of herbal remedies. Our man-made medicine stock is large, but we prefer to keep it for the worst emergencies. There is also a school, for children five to twelve years old, a nursery for parents to keep their infants to school-age children while they're working, a fire brigade, a market, and several farms on the outskirts of the city itself."

"Impressive!" Amber said happily. "So people here work?" Jay asked curiously. Malik nodded, looking surprised. "Yes. Of course. We have people working in the electric plant, in the schools and nurseries, in the fields on the farms, in the hospitals, and in the computer station as well as those who make clothes, medicines, soap, and other things we need. Everyone here is required to work eight hours a day or they forfeit their rights to be able to use the running water and electricity." Amber looked appalled. "You _make_ people work?" she asked in a horrified tone.

Malik stared at her. "Amber seems to think people should be free to do whatever they wish," Ram said with a sneer. Malik raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Ruby was being carried out of the boat on the stretcher. She was in such delirium that she didn't even know she was being moved. One of the medics said something in Malik's ear and hurried away to the ambulance. Seconds later, it sped away with Ruby inside. Malik sighed and turned to the others. "He says she's bad off, but they'll do what they can," he said solemnly. He glanced around the group. "Are all of you here?" Amber nodded, still looking annoyed. "Good," Malik said. "Then we can go to the hotel."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Queen of Genesis

The hotel they were brought to was one of the most beautiful places any of the Mallrats or their friends had ever seen. It was surrounded by an eight foot red brick wall and five acres of gardens and pathways. Guards were patrolling the wall and around the three story, white stucco hotel that had once been a getaway for the richest people in the world. A smaller white building stood several hundred yards away from the hotel itself, which Malik said was his home and headquarters for the Troops. When asked, Malik revealed that his tribe alone numbered two hundred and fifty men and women.

"How many tribes live on this island?" Jay asked curiously. "There are six . . . the Troops, the Crazed Angels, the Farmers, the Band of Enlightened, the Abandoned, and the Wolves. The Troops and the Farmers are the only two with a specific duty. The Farmers number about sixty people, all live on their own farms around the city itself. They grow all the food crops and take care of the animals that we use for transportation, work, and meat," Malik replied. "What animals do you keep?" Lex asked his eyes greedy looking. Malik laughed at him, knowing he was thinking of steak. "We keep horses to plough the fields and to transport workers and cargo from the city to the farms. We also have sheep, goats, pigs, cows, and chickens."

"Transport workers?" Amber asked with a concerned look. "Yes. Those who break the minor laws have a choice of either jail time or working in the fields," Malik answered. Amber's eyebrow raised in disgust. "And what happens to those who break major laws? And who makes the laws, the Queen?" Malik looked at her strangely, taken aback by her attitude. "We consider three things major crimes . . . murder, rape, and cruelty to children and animals. If you are found guilty of murder, you are put to death. Rape equals a life sentence in solitary confinement. Cruelty earns you a sentence of hard labor in the fields under strict supervision, after a year you are allowed out. If you break the cruelty law once more, you are sent to the slave market."

Amber's face grew red with fury as Malik continued. "And as for who makes the laws," he said, "the Queen creates them and they are voted in through the Council of Leaders. We also have a Council of Private Citizens who deals with minor lawbreakers in the Courts. Major cases are sent to the Council of Leaders, with the final decision made by the Queen." They had come to the doors of the hotel by this time, and before Amber could comment, Malik turned to the group as a whole. "Usually citizens kneel before the Queen but you will not be expected to," he said. "You will, however, be required to show her the utmost respect, and when speaking to her you must refer to her as my lady."

All except Amber nodded. Malik opened the giant yew doors and the group stepped into a beautiful hallway with white walls, large Venetian windows, gray granite floors, and an assortment of antique vases, oil paintings, and marble busts that had been collected from the different rooms of the hotel. The group was led down the hallway and into the large room at the end. Two small linen covered tables were placed on either side of a raised granite platform. At the tables sat five people, two men and a woman on one table and a man and a woman on the other with an empty chair between them.

On the platform was a single carved chair, and in it sat a young woman, beautifully attired in a long gown of blue. A diamond tiara rested on her black hair. Four other young women stood behind the chair, two on each side, each wearing a long gray silk dress with a blue sash around their waist. Malik knelt before the woman on the platform and waited for several seconds before rising and going to sit in the empty seat between the man and the woman at the left table.

"Welcome to the island of Genesis," the Queen said with a warm smile. "My name is Iris, Queen of the Tribes of Genesis." She raised a hand gracefully to motion towards Malik. "You have already met Malik, leader of the Troops. This is Althea, leader of the Abandoned (the woman on his right inclined her head), Joker leader of the Crazed Angels (the man on Malik's left raised his hand), Ethan the leader of the Band of Enlightened (the man closest to the platform who was seated at the other table inclined his head), Crystal the leader of the Farmers (she waved), and Gray who is leader of the Wolves (he raised his head proudly)."

Iris gave the leaders of the tribes an affectionate look. "Those whom you see here are the ones called the Council of Leaders. We make the decisions and laws on this island. In the interest of our people, we would like you to tell us who you are and why you have come here." Amber stepped forward after handing Bray to Salene. "I'm Amber, and I am leader of the Mallrats," she said. "You all are Mallrats?" Iris asked. "I'm not," Ebony muttered. "And not all of us here are part of their tribe." Amber glared at Ebony but said nothing. "Who are you then?" Iris asked Ebony. "My name is Ebony," she answered. "This is Slade, Darryl, Lottie, and Ram. The one over there is Cade; it was in his boat we came here. None of us are Mallrats."

Iris' brow furrowed as she looked at Ram. "What tribe do you come from?" she asked, glancing from Ram to Jay. "You two are dressed alike." Jay stepped forward. "We used to be Technos, but we aren't any longer," he answered quickly. "And the rest of you?" Iris asked. "This is Salene and my son, Bray," Amber said in a slightly cold tone. "And this is Jay, Trudy, her daughter Brady, May, Jack, Ellie, Lex, Gel, and Sammy. We are all Mallrats." Iris nodded, smiling at the children with a wistful look. "You told Malik you are from the city on the mainland?"

Amber nodded, crossing her arms. "Yes." "And how was it you came to leave?" Iris asked. "Do you want the long story or the short?" Amber queried. "The basics are all I require, Amber," Iris told her. "Well," Amber began, "to make a long story short, our city was invaded and taken over by the Technos. Eventually the Technos' leader was overthrown (here she cast a glare over at Ram which wasn't lost on the Queen), through our efforts and another's, one who was a Techno himself. The Technos' name was Mega. We soon realized he overthrew . . . the former leader . . . to take over himself, and ended up worse than the original leader. Mega was brought down by the combined efforts of all the tribes of the city, but we didn't know he had been creating a virus."

Here the Council of Leaders straightened up and looked at Amber with concerned expressions. Gray raised his hand. "You may speak, Gray," Iris said quietly. "I would like to know everything you and your tribe knows about this virus," he said. "How was it made?" Amber looked over at Ram. Ram let out a little sigh and stepped forward. "Mega somehow transported several vials of assorted viruses from a lab outside the city," Ram explained. "He figured out how to combine several of the viruses to form a new, deadlier organism. After Mega was captured, a computer program took control of the creation and bred an even deadlier virus, one that could wipe out the entire city, possibly even the entire continent."

The Council began whispering to each other in frightened tones. Iris raised a hand for silence. "How do you know none of you are carrying the virus?" she asked. "The computer program that was to let the virus out was defeated," Ram answered. "It was prevented from releasing the virus. However, the boiler room in the hotel where the virus was located was about to explode, so the city was evacuated. Although I doubt the virus could have survived the extreme temperatures of the explosion, it was safer and more prudent for us to go ahead and leave. As for any of us having the virus, it is highly unlikely as none of us are ill after almost six weeks."

Iris nodded, looking relieved. "I understand," she said. "I am sorry about your home. But what remains now is to find out what you want since you are here. Do you wish to remain, or merely to rest and go on your way after replenishing your supplies?" "I ain't going no further," Cade said irritably, the first time he had spoken in days. "An' it's my boat." "I'd like to stay . . . at least for a while," Trudy said, stepping up and looking beseechingly at the Queen. The other Mallrats, excepting Amber, murmured their agreements. The others, Ebony included, nodded. Iris smiled at them all and stood up.

"I will give you a week to rest and decide if you would like to remain," she told them. "After that, if you decide to leave, we can provide you with a larger boat as well as supplies. If you wish to stay, it will be the Council and I who will decide if it will be allowed." Iris clapped her hands, bringing in several men and women in blue outfits from the hallway. They all knelt to the Queen and then stood to receive their orders. "I would like our guests to be shown to the best rooms," Iris told the blue-clad group before addressing the Mallrats once more.

"You may stay here in the palace, as we like to call my home, until the week is up," Iris said. "You may wash up, and we will find clean garments for you to wear until those you have on are laundered. In two hours I will have dinner; you may either join me or eat in your rooms. You will each have an attendant assigned to you who will take care of your needs. Malik will appraise you of our laws . . . for even though you are guests you will be bound by our rules . . . excepting the rules requiring you to work. I will see you all later after you have rested, and you can tell me more about yourselves."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Breakfast

"I can't believe it!" Amber fumed that night in the room she and Jay had been given. "They . . . they ship people off to be slaves! They murder people!" Jay sighed heavily. "Calm down, Amber," he said quietly. "Calm down! How can I calm down? We leave Mega's tyranny to find ourselves in a new . . ." "How can you say that Iris is the same as Mega, Amber?" Jay asked her with a sharp edge to his tone. She glared at him. "How can you not?" she countered.

He looked at her with exasperation. "All right, Amber, what would you do with someone who murdered another?" He sat on the bed and stared at her, waiting for her answer. "The only decent thing to do!" Amber snapped. "Give the person a fair trial and then lock them up for a few months or banish them!" Jay looked at her with a strange pain in his eyes. "So you would let them out or send them away to do it again?" he asked quietly. "You're saying you _agree_ with this ridiculous . . ." Amber began, but Jay cut her off. "I do agree with it, Amber," Jay told her. "Because it's the right thing. You think more about the rights of the individual over the rights of the community. And that, Amber, is very, very wrong."

"How can you say that?" Amber fumed. "Because I believe in it!" Jay said, his voice rising. "I'm tired of all this fighting and unfairness! I didn't mind fighting against Mega, he was a bastard, as was Ram. But this island, from what I can tell, is the utopia I've been searching for, the civilized community I had hoped to build with you! But obviously, we have very different ideas as to what should and should not be." He stood up and went to the door. "And know this, Amber. If you get any ideas about 'liberating' this city, remember that I am not going to be by your side. You should also remember that although you are leader of the Mallrats, you aren't leader of this city . . . thank God."

With that parting remark, he left her, his face crumpled in pain. Amber stared after him, not wanting to believe what she had just heard but having no way to disbelieve it. She sat on the bed and looked over at her son, who lay asleep even through the argument. "This is wrong, so wrong . . ." she whispered, falling back on the bed. She didn't know if she meant her relationship or the city they were now in.

The next morning, the attendants assigned to each of the Mallrats rooms came to escort them to breakfast. "It was nice taking a hot shower, wasn't it?" Trudy asked happily, feeling pretty and feminine in the lavender dress that had been given to her the night before. Amber glowered at her but said nothing. Trudy; too interested in her surroundings to notice, kept talking about the hotel and how nice it was, how nice the people were, and wondering how Ruby was doing. It surprised them all as several Troops passed, obviously patrolling the hotel, and Ram made a comment about the tight security.

Amber saw Jay being led to the group by a beautiful female attendant and felt rather jealous for a moment. He greeted her and the others politely, making Trudy turn to look at Amber in concern. In no time at all, they entered a beautiful dining room with a long table set with white linen and pretty china. The Queen was already there and seated, along with her four ladies, talking animatedly. Sarai gave Lex a sexy smile and patted the chair beside her. He swaggered over and sat down, smiling back. Iris motioned for the others to be seated.

"Good morning, everyone," Iris said happily. "I hope you slept well." The Mallrats and the others, excepting Amber, nodded and murmured their thanks. Servers came soon after, bringing in plates of eggs, sausage, fried fish, oatmeal, fresh fruit, and toast. They came back again, bringing small bowls of strawberry and blackberry preserves, butter, cream, sugar, and honey. Other servers moved about, pouring glasses of milk, orange juice, and coffee. The Mallrats were amazed by the spread.

"This looks wonderful!" Jack mumbled between bites. Ellie shoved him on the shoulder. "Have some manners!" she whispered angrily. Iris laughed. "It was a good year in crops," she said. "Eat your fill, we have plenty." "I can't believe you have sausage!" Lex cried, shoving a whole patty into his mouth. "We keep pigs and grow our own spices," Iris told him. "How did you learn to make the sausage and the butter?" Trudy asked. "Would you like it if I told you how we became Genesis?" Iris asked. "That way you will know everything about us."

"I'd like that," Trudy said, smiling. The others all concurred. Jay and Ram looked particularly attentive. Iris smiled and leaned back in her chair. "When the virus came, most of us here were with our parents at this resort," she said. "We all grew up in rich homes, we were all spoiled children who didn't know what to do with ourselves when our parents were taken from us. All we could do at the time was to bury our loved ones." Her face looked sad as she spoke. "It wasn't long until we all began fighting amongst ourselves, arguing over the remainder of the food and even killing each other."

Iris paused and sighed deeply. "It was a dark, dark time, even worse in some ways than the virus itself. Thankfully, some of us realized that we couldn't go on the way we were. Malik, Althea, Joker, Ethan, Crystal, Grey and his sister Jade, and two others, Raven and Estelle, along with me and my brother Danny all joined together as a tribe whose main purpose was to construct order out of the chaos. Eventually, we began to be heard. The main reason why most wished to join with us was the lack of food. Another was the desire to be able to live without fear of someone either killing or raping or selling you."

She smiled as she continued. "It took a long time for us to organize the two hundred and seventy six people on this island into tribes. Althea, Joker, Ethan, Crystal, and Jade became leaders of their own tribes. The rest of us, as well as the new leaders, formed a council to decide upon rules and ask the people to vote the rules in to make them more 'legal'. The first issue we tackled was the food problem. We knew there were farms outside of the city on the outskirts of the island that had provided fresh fruits and vegetables to the resort. Crystal and her tribe decided to be the ones to run them. They went out only to find the ten farms were too large to be run only by thirty people. We told the people of the city the problem and many volunteered to go out and help."

Iris looked around at the amazed faces of those sitting around her. "Thanks to the help of many gardening and farming books we found, Crystal and the Farmers, along with their helpers, produced enough food that year to adequately feed everyone on the island. It took a couple of years to extend the crops so we would have surplus, but Crystal did it. She also learned how to make preserves and pickles out of the fruits and vegetables, and how to store the little meat we had. Meanwhile, here in the city, the rest of us were attempting to form a government. Each of the tribes wanted to have their own personal contribution to the new city, as Crystal and her tribe did. Althea and the twenty members of the Abandoned began studying an assortment of books on health, natural healing, herbs, midwifery, and medicine. They live in and run the hospital. Joker and the Crazed Angels learned how to operate the generators that give us our electricity and running water . . . they also developed our solar-powered ambulances."

"You figured all this stuff out merely by reading books?" Ram asked incredulously. Iris nodded. "Yes. Most of us have gone to private boarding schools, and were given the best educations. It wasn't hard. Anyway, Ethan and the Enlightened run the nurseries and the schools, while the Wolves make the things we need." "What do you mean, the things you need?" Trudy asked. "When all the chaos was going on, so much was broken and destroyed in the city," Iris said. "The Wolves repair homes and furniture, they make cloth, soap, and home items, as well as run the fire brigade. They also make sure the market and holiday ceremonies run smoothly, they catch fish, and most importantly, they take it upon themselves to take yearly trips to the mainland to conduct business."

"What do you mean by that?" Jay asked. Iris smiled. "They go to the mainland and trade with other tribes for things like seeds of crops we don't have, books to learn to do things we want to have available, and they buy slaves with some of the prophet." "What?" many of the Mallrats asked, shocked. "Don't worry, we don't keep them as slaves," Iris said, waving a hand. "We buy them from the slave traders and bring them here to set them free. Slaving is a horrible business, but since we can't stop it, we can at least help some of the slaves get free. Most of them remain here and join tribes, that's how we grew from a couple hundred people to almost five hundred. Others leave to look for lost family or for other reasons."

"That's wonderful!" Ellie cried happily. Amber's eyes narrowed. "What about the ones you send away to be slaves?" she asked angrily. Iris raised her eyebrow. "That has only happed twice," she said evenly. "And both of the men in question were known torturers of children. One of them drove a four year old girl insane." "Good God!" Trudy cried, holding her daughter close. "Why didn't you kill him?" Iris gave her a sad smile. "He didn't kill her. And our laws stipulate that murder must happen for the guilty to be killed. Anyway, that isn't something to talk about over breakfast."

Iris took a sip of her orange juice before she continued her story. "With more people coming to live here, it was obvious that we needed some sort of police, someone to keep the peace. Malik found an armory underneath the hotel, stocked with tons of weaponry and such, and since he had a background in the military and marital arts, he formed his own tribe, the Troops. They are our biggest tribe, and they keep the peace wonderfully." "Forgive me for interrupting," Jay said, "but didn't you introduce Grey as the leader of the Wolves?" Iris nodded with a sad smile. "Yes. After a year of being leader, Jade caught what we think was pneumonia and she died. Our healers weren't skilled enough yet to save her."

Jay was silent, thinking of the love he had lost from a simple cut on the finger. Ebony glanced at him with a hint of pity. Amber noticed the look and wondered what it was about, since Jay had never told her of his first true love. Iris noticed Jay's sadness and Ebony's look as well but said nothing. "So how did you become Queen?" Ram asked, breaking the silence. Iris smiled at him. "The tribe leaders decided that we needed one supreme leader to make sure there would be one final decision maker. After they fought about it for a while, it was finally decided that it couldn't be one of them, because most thought that if it was a tribal leader, that leader would promote the interests of his or her own tribe over the others."

"That makes total sense," Jack said, speaking for the first time as his stomach was full. Iris nodded. "It was also decided that the supreme leader couldn't be one from an established tribe for the same reason. Therefore it was decided upon two people, myself and Raven. Neither of us were one of the established tribe. Both of us, as well as Danny and Estelle worked on the Council, but not as any leader. All of us were well known. Danny and Estelle didn't want to be Supreme Leader, both were content where they were. There was a vote, and I won."

"Yes," Sarai put in, "and the people loved her so much that they forced her to take the honor of Queen, and had her live here in the hotel with servers and ladies and guards, just like the Queens of old." "Why?" Amber asked sullenly. "Why all the grandeur?" Sarai laughed. "It makes us proud," she said. "We're proud of our city, we're proud of our government, and we're proud of Her Highness. She worked hard on our behalf, and she deserves all this. We know she does everything for our own good. Plus, saying we're part of a monarchy is really cool!" Sarai flashed a smile at Lex and continued eating. Amber sniffed and poked at her eggs. "Well, if everyone is done, how about a tour of the city?" Iris asked.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Genesis City

Iris met the others downstairs after changing into a simple forest green cotton dress and walking boots. She smiled at Trudy and Amber, who were carrying their children in their arms. "Would you two like strollers?" Iris asked them. "The city is rather large and the kids would probably like it better. You were given diapers and formula, weren't you?" "I would like a stroller, thanks, Queen Iris," Trudy said with relief and gratitude. "And yes, I was given diapers and formula, but Brady doesn't use them anymore." Iris nodded and tickled Brady's stomach. "I forgot you were a big girl!" Iris told the toddler, who laughed.

"It might be good to give her some formula, since she hasn't been eating so well," Iris told Trudy with a smile. "But I'm sure that when we stop at the hospital, the healers would be glad to go over any health and nutrition concerns you might have for Brady. And the same goes for the rest of you," she continued, looking around the group before turning to Amber. "Would you like a stroller, or perhaps a sling?" Amber shook her head. "No thank you." "All right, then I guess we had better go," Iris said finally, looking confused at Amber's ungrateful, sullen attitude. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jay's pained look at Amber. Wondering what could be going on with her guests, but deciding not to comment about it, Iris went to the door.

"I usually travel by horse," she said, "but I think it would be more fun to walk." The others followed her out into the bright sunlight and down the hotel driveway. Malik met them at the gate, followed by four of his men. "Are guards necessary, Malik?" Iris asked with a playful sigh. Malik stood up from his kneeling position and raised an eyebrow. "I will take no chances with your Majesty," he told her. Iris laughed at him, sighed again, and walked out into the city.

The first thing the Mallrats noticed was that the city was very clean. "Where we come from, there is rubbish everywhere," Ebony said, surprising everyone by speaking up. "It was like that here as well," Iris said. "Your name is Ebony, correct?" Ebony nodded in a demure fashion that was not like her at all. "Well, Ebony," Iris continued, "we decided to clean up when the rats and flies and other vermin got too bad. This was when we were just beginning a government. We didn't want to encourage disease." "Where did you put the trash?" Ram asked.

"We cleaned everything that could be cleaned," Iris answered. "Old cars, cans, bottles, and stuff like that. The seats and workable parts were removed from the cars, the metal melted down and used. Cans and bottles and anything that could be used for storage has been cleaned and reused. Furniture that can be repaired has been; the pieces that can't are used for firewood. Anything that can be recycled has been used. Anything that can't be used in any conceivable way has been buried." As they were walking, busy people sent their greetings to Iris, who acknowledged each one with a wave. They rounded a corner into a large market that was empty.

"Market days are twice a week," Iris said. "It took too many of Malik's guards to keep it running throughout the week." "What do you mean?" Salene asked. "Well, I'm sure you know what goes on with trading," Iris answered. "Lots of arguing that ends up in fights. We have fifty guards patrol the area on market days, to break up fights, make sure the vendor's are charging fair prices, and to prevent someone stealing someone's hard earned purchases." "It's like living under martial law," Amber said under her breath, but loud enough for Jay and Iris to hear. Iris chose not to answer. "We have set the market up into sections," she said. "One section is for live food, one for other food, one for household goods, one for clothing, and another for other items."

"We found that keeping live animals around the other food somehow spread food poisoning," Malik broke in. "Really!" Slade said, whistling. "How did you find that out?" "It took a while to figure out why people were getting sick from eating the produce and fruit," Malik told him. "In the end, one of our healers read that the bacteria from feces could spread to other food items quickly. We tried moving the live food to the furthest area away from the other market items, and that fixed the problem." "That's gross, but interesting," May said. "That's just disgusting!" Gel cried, making a face. Iris laughed at her. "It is, but the problem's fixed so no one has to worry."

She led them down a street of houses that looked exactly the same, all white and two storied, with green doors and tiny little front yards. All were clean and in good repair. "These are just some of the houses where our people live," Iris said proudly. "Do the people own the homes?" Jay asked. "They cannot have their homes taken away from them," Iris replied, "but they didn't pay for them, they were fixed up and given to them." "How many people live in one house?" Trudy asked. "It depends. We don't allow one or two people to live exclusively in a house that's big like this one," Iris said, "that would just be a waste. Most people live with family or tribe members. We don't allow more than two people to a bedroom though, for fire and health reasons."

"This," Iris said, turning a corner, "is our work district. This building here is our electricity plant, it is run in four different shifts. That warehouse is where the Wolves make all the stuff I told you about, the warehouse next to it is where they store the finished product. We won't go down there because the Wolves and the Crazed Angels don't like being interrupted." She led them away from the work district into another small community of houses and then down another street into an area where there were four large brick buildings next to each other in a row.

"What's this place?" Trudy asked. "This building here is the nursery," Iris said. "Come on and I'll show you." They all went into a large hallway where the sounds of children laughing and crying could be heard all around. A young woman with a clipboard came up and knelt to Iris. "This is Janet, she's the second in command of the Enlightened," Iris told the others when the petite Asian woman rose. "How's everything today?" Janet smiled and brushed a strand of blue hair behind her ear. "Two kids were sent home with colds, but other than that, fine, Highness." "Can we take a peek?" Iris asked. "Of course!" Janet replied. "Follow me."

They looked into a large window to see around six men and women tending to infants. Some babies were sleeping in cribs, others were being rocked, one was getting a diaper change, and the others were playing on blankets laid out on the carpet. "This is our infants to six months room," Janet explained before showing them the room opposite the first. "And this is our six months to a year room." Trudy smiled at the babies playing in Exersaucers, walkers, and bouncy seats. "They're so cute in there!" she said. Janet smiled and led them upstairs.

"We keep the one year olds here," Janet said, pointing to a room where several of the kids were holding gingerly onto the attendants fingers as they took practice steps, and the others were napping or playing. "And the two year olds are here." The two year old room was full of activity. Toddlers were playing with books, plastic cars, dress-up toys, dolls, and blocks while the harried attendants rushed from toddler to toddler, keeping the peace. Janet led them all up to the final floor where she showed them the three and four year old rooms before taking them back downstairs. "We also have a playground out back for the older kids and a play area on the left side of the building for the younger ones," Janet told the group.

"Thanks for the tour, Janet," Iris said with a smile. "We'll let you get back to your job." "Anytime," Janet smiled back. "And if any of you need us to watch your kids, we're here." Trudy smiled and thanked her. Amber merely nodded. Iris led them outside and stood out in front of the next building. "This is the school for the five to eight year olds," Iris said, and the next building is the school for the nine to twelve year olds. We won't go in and interrupt their classes. I just thought you'd like to know we have schools." "What do you teach them?" Slade asked curiously.

"To read and write," Iris answered. "We have two girls who teach piano and another who teaches violin. There were a lot of art books in the hotel, so they learn about art, as well as create their own out of the clay and paint we've figured out how to make. We teach them what we can remember about science, history, and math. There are a lot of novels in Genesis City, so the older ones all read them; they're a bit too adult for the younger ones. Ethan even teaches a bit about religions like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. His father was a religions expert, so he's pretty knowledgeable."

"Do you have churches here?" Jay asked, surprised. "Not really, but there are several home groups that practice some Christianity and Buddhism. These are led by the kids whose parents were extremely religious," Iris answered. "This building I think you'll be particularly interested in," she said, pointing out the last building on the street. "This is our hospital." "Will we be able to see Ruby?" Lottie asked. Iris smiled sadly. "If the healers allow it," she said quietly.


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: Now that I've started classes, I won't be updating as often, due to lots and lots of homework. I will try to update as often as possible, though, I promise! Thanks to everyone who is reading this story, and if you review as well . . . I'll love ya forever!_

Chapter 7: In The Hospital

The hospital was clean and neat and cheerful looking, as it was painted in a bright color of yellow. Daisies and roses were placed in vases around the entrance hall, making the room smell fresh. The only person inside the room was a young man with long blonde dreadlocks behind a counter in the middle of the room. The moment he saw Iris, he knelt in the typical Genesis Island method of greeting their Queen. "I presume you are here to see the one who was brought yesterday," the man asked. Iris nodded. "Yes, Andre, we are. The young woman's name is Ruby."

"Just a moment and I will have someone take you to Jacinta and Will . . . they're the ones caring for her," Andre said. "It may take several minutes, we've got a couple of your men here, Malik." Malik looked annoyed. "What happened?" Andre grinned. "It seems that they got into an argument over who won a race." Malik rolled his eyes. "Where are they?" Andre checked a clipboard. "Second floor. Room one hundred and two." "Highness . . ." Malik began. "Go ahead, Malik. I think I know who they're talking about," Iris said with a laugh. "And if it is who I think it is, tell him he's not to get into any more trouble when his wife is about to give birth."

Malik nodded. "I'll tell him." He turned to the others. "Please excuse me." Iris shook her head, chuckling. "That Ved is a handful," she said with amusement. She was shocked when Jay grabbed her arm in a painful grip. "What? What did you say?" he cried. Iris looked at him, confused. "Jay, you're hurting me!" "What did you say?" he asked again. "I said that Ved is a handful!" Iris cried. "Now let go!" She wrenched her arm out of his grip. "What's the matter, Jay?" Jay was staring down at her with a strange, longing expression.

"I have a brother named Ved," he explained in a hoarse voice. "He . . . he was supposed to have been deleted." Iris looked at him with sympathy. "I'm so sorry." "What do you know about this Ved?" Jay asked. "He was one of the people we bought from the slavers," Iris told him. "He insisted that he couldn't leave without a girl . . . he caused a big scene so we bought her too. I remember when he met me, he thought he was to be a slave. He was so grateful that we had bought him to set him free. He married the girl . . . she doesn't say much and keeps to herself a lot . . . and now she's having their baby. Ved joined the Troops, turned out to be an excellent soldier, and makes Malik and I very happy . . . except he does have a tendency to get into trouble."

"How does he look?" Jay asked excitedly. Iris thought for a moment. "Now that I think about it," she said, "he does resemble you, Jay, in your facial features and your height. But his hair is black." "Oh," Jay said, looking saddened. "What was the girl's name?" Salene ventured to ask. "I am positive her name is Cloe," said Iris. Salene's face turned pale. "Oh my God, it is them!" she cried. "What room did Andre say Ved was in?" Jay asked, placing his hands on Iris' shoulders. "Second floor, room one hundred and two," Iris answered. "But . . ." She didn't get to finish her sentence as Jay raced away.

Iris watched him go with a small smile. "I hope Ved is his brother, it seems like it would make Jay very happy," she said, turning to the others. To her surprise, not everyone seemed happy about what was happening . . . especially Amber and Ram. Amber merely looked annoyed, but Ram looked angry and fearful. "Is . . . there something I should know?" Iris asked, looking from one to the other. No one said anything for several minutes. "Well?" Iris insisted. "It's just that . . . if this is Ved . . . well . . ." Salene began, looking as if she didn't know where to start. "Ved wasn't a very nice person when we knew him," Trudy finished. "Say it like it is," Lex put in, "the kid was a little bastard." Trudy ignored him and continued. "He wasn't nice at all. And Cloe . . . well . . . she is a Mallrat."

"Ved, not a nice person?" Iris asked incredulously. "He's one of the nicest people I know! And he is so wonderful to Cloe!" "How is Cloe?" Salene asked quietly. "I believe something horrible happened to her, something only Ved knows about," Iris said sadly. "She won't open up to anyone else. She's sweet and everything, always willing to help out when something needs to be done, but I don't think she has any friends other than Ved. Cloe doesn't talk much, either, and I have never seen her smile." Salene looked as if she were about to cry. That moment, two of the healers approached the group.

"Highness, may we speak to you?" the female asked after she had made her greeting. Iris nodded. "Excuse me," she told the others. Iris and the healers stepped away from the group who began whispering about what they had just learned. In a few minutes, Iris came back and took a deep breath. "Amber, you said you were the leader of the group. May I speak to you alone?" she asked. "It's about Ruby." "Ruby isn't a Mallrat," Slade said, looking worried. "And I want to know what's going on with her." Iris nodded. "I understand that, but I don't think . . ." She broke off with a significant glance at Lottie.

"I understand what you mean," Amber said quickly, and drew Iris and Slade aside. Ram and Ebony also joined the little group. Iris looked at each of them before speaking. "I am sorry to tell you that Ruby has been coughing up blood for the past few hours," she said sadly. "When she was brought in, the healers diagnosed her as having several broken ribs. They patched her up as best they could. However, last night she gave birth to a very premature baby. It was too young to survive . . . they doubt it would have survived if born before the virus. Her contractions must have caused one of the ribs to pierce an artery or one of her organs. I am sorry, but there isn't much chance she is going to survive. Our healers are good, but not skilled in surgery."

The four around her looked devastated. "Is there . . . is there time to say goodbye?" Slade asked, his voice cracking with emotion. "She was unconscious when the healers left her," Iris told him. "But I see no reason why you can't go up there. I just think it would be best if it were only a few people at a time." "I'm going," Slade said decisively. "I'll go with you," Ebony said immediately. "No, this is something I have to do myself," Slade told her. "Where is she?" "She's on the second floor as well," Iris said. "Room one hundred and twenty three. The healers are waiting to take whoever wants to go up."

"We should tell the others, but we'll break it to Lottie gently," Amber said. Ebony said nothing, her face looking like stone. "I'll tell Lottie myself," Amber continued and went to take Lottie aside. Ebony stalked over to tell the others. Iris noticed that Ram had gone off by himself to look out of a window. She walked over to him hesitantly and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about your friend," she said quietly. He glanced at her, his eyes filled with unshed tears. "Me too," he said curtly. "She didn't deserve this." "If you don't mind me asking," Iris asked, "how did she come by the injuries?"

"She got hit by a truck," Ram said. "But I think she got hit purposely." "What do you mean?" Iris asked, confused. Ram snorted and turned to face her. "She was with Ebony when it happened," he told her. "Ebony hated Ruby. The baby . . . it was Slade's." Iris' eyes widened. "You don't mean . . ." Ram nodded. "That's exactly what I mean, Iris. You don't know because you don't know Ebony," he spat. "Something terrible always happens to the people she hates. Always." Iris looked appalled. "My God!" she said under her breath. "I just . . . can't believe someone would . . ." "Believe it," Ram said. "Because it's true. Ask any of the Mallrats, they'll tell you all about Ebony."

Just then, Jay came hurriedly into the room. "It _is_ Ved!" he said excitedly. "And his wife is Cloe! She's up there with him if you . . ." He broke off as he saw everyone's sad faces. "What happened?" he asked. "It's Ruby, Jay," Amber said while consoling a sobbing Lottie. "She's not going to make it."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Reunion

Jay went back up to bring Ved and Cloe downstairs while Ram and Lottie went upstairs to see Ruby. Iris stood next to the window, thinking of what Ram said about Ebony. She heard exclamations of happiness behind her and knew that Ved and Cloe had made their appearance, but she didn't turn around. She started when someone touched her shoulder. It was Jay. Iris couldn't help but smile at the happiness in his face. "I just wanted to thank you," he said. "Whatever for, Jay?" Iris asked. "Ved told me everything you've done for him, Iris," he explained. "I really appreciate it."

Iris smiled gently. "Jay, I do what I can for all my people. I try a little harder for those who had been slaves . . . but please don't assume that Ved is the only one, although I do like him quite a lot." "I know it," Jay said quietly. "I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say." "I understand, Jay," Iris assured him. "But what I'd like to know is how such an intelligent, wonderful young man came to be a slave. And I want to know what happened to Cloe. Do you know anything about it, and if you do, can you tell me what happened without breaking any confidence?"

"I do know, Iris," he answered slowly. "And I will tell you. It's too long of a story to tell right now. I want you to know because . . . if it's all right with you . . . I'd like to stay here in Genesis. Ved and Cloe love it here and I do as well. This is exactly what I've been looking for." "Then we will discuss this later tonight," Iris said. "You may come to my rooms and we can talk about it privately." Jay nodded. "Thank you," he said, and leaned over to kiss her cheek before walking away. Iris touched the spot he had kissed with a surprised look and watched as he joined the group around Cloe.

One of the healers stepped over to Iris and whispered in her ear. Iris gave a quick nod and walked over to the Mallrats. Ved, his hair now dyed black and wearing a tight black shirt and baggy black jeans instead of his Techno outfit, and Cloe, very pregnant and wearing a pale blue cotton dress, greeted the Queen and Iris smiled at the two. "I have an announcement," Iris said to the others. "It is my unfortunate duty to tell you that Ruby has just passed away." Jay looked sorrowful. Gel began to cry. Ebony stood frozen, her face ashen. The others murmured sadly amongst themselves. "If it is all right with you all, we can give her a proper funeral at the hotel," Iris said soberly. "Unless any of you knew of Ruby's wishes?"

"She wouldn't have wanted to die, that's for damn sure!" Slade shouted as he strode through the crowd out into the street. Iris could see tears on his face and in his eyes as he passed her. Ebony followed him only moments later. Lottie came stumbling down the stairs sobbing wildly, and Salene, Amber and Trudy went to console her. Iris watched the scene sadly for a few minutes and then on impulse, went upstairs to see the girl who had died before she had met her. She went into the room but stopped abruptly when she saw Ram still standing there, looking down at Ruby with an expression of stone.

"I'm sorry," Iris said, turning to go. "No . . . stay," Ram said, his tone bitter. Iris came up to stand beside him and looked down at the beautiful girl in the bed. "Were you and she . . ." she began. "No. We weren't. We were friends," Ram said slowly, "but nothing more. She loved Slade. I loved Java." "Java?" Iris asked. Ram glanced over at her with a cold expression. "I don't want to talk about it." "I'm sorry," she answered, putting her hand on his. "It seems . . . it seems like so many of you have led such horrible lives and carry such pain with you." Ram looked back down at Ruby and said nothing more. Iris squeezed his hand and slipped out to leave him to his grief.

She went back downstairs and joined the Mallrats. "I think it will be all right to take you up on your offer to give Ruby a funeral," May told Iris the moment she saw her. Iris nodded. "Then I will take care of the arrangements as soon as possible." She looked over at Ved. "Ved, where's Malik?" she asked. Ved shrugged. "I'm not sure, Highness," he answered. "If I had to guess, I'd say he's waiting for you outside." "Can you call him to make sure?" Iris asked. "I need to speak with him." "Sure," Ved said, pulling a walkie talkie from his belt. While he spoke to Malik, Iris patted Cloe's stomach and asked her how the baby was doing.

Cloe smiled shyly. "It's doing well, your Majesty," she said softly. "But it does kick a lot, and it hurts sometimes." Iris nodded and smiled at the younger girl encouragingly. "But not much longer, right?" Cloe shook her head. "No. Only a couple weeks, according to the healers." Ved stepped back up to the two and put his arm around his wife. "I told Malik you wanted to give the girl . . . Ruby, I think her name was . . . a funeral. He said he'd take care of it." "Thanks, Ved," Iris told him. "I think if no one objects, we should head back to the hotel. You and Cloe should come with us. You can have rooms for the night if you like."

Ved looked down at Cloe with a questioning look in his eyes. Iris noticed that something had been communicated between them without saying a word, because immediately Ved looked back at Iris. "Thank you, my Queen, but I think we'll go home from here," he said. "Cloe's pretty tired." Iris nodded. "That's all right. You're welcome to come up to the hotel anytime to see your friends." "Thanks, Majesty," Ved answered. "I think we'll go tell the others that we're going." The two gave Iris a short bow and went over to the group. Out of the corner of her eye, Iris saw Ram come down the stairs.

She started to go over to him to tell him about the funeral when Ved's voice rang out sharply. "What in the hell is he doing here?" Iris looked over at Ved in shock. She had never heard him speak with such fear, hatred, and anger in the short time she had known him. Ram stopped mid-stride and glared at Ved with narrowed eyes. "Ved . . ." Jay began, touching his younger brother on the shoulder. "No!" Ved shouted, flinging off the restraining hand. "Why didn't you tell me you brought that sicko bastard with you?" The room was silent. Ved was glaring at Ram with a red face and fists clenched. "Ved, these are our guests," Iris said quietly, remembering her duties.

Ved looked over at Iris and his jaw clenched. He closed his eyes for a few moments then walked over to kneel before his Queen. "Forgive me for the outburst, your Majesty," he said shortly. "With your permission, I'd like to take my wife home." Iris glanced at Cloe, who was white as a sheet and visibly trembling, her eyes on Ram. "Of course you may, Ved," Iris said quietly. Ved stood up and without a word to anyone else, took Cloe's arm and walked out of the hospital. Iris waited until he was gone before turning to look at the others. "I think we should go back to the hotel," she said.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Thoughts

Iris said nothing about what had happened at the hospital all the way back to the hotel. As soon as she entered her home, she was accosted at the door by Delia, who told her that there were several members of the Council awaiting her decisions on matters pertaining to the island. "I must attend to this," Iris told the Mallrats, "and it may take a while. If you like, you can go up and rest in your rooms or you can take a look around the hotel. There will be guards standing outside rooms you won't be allowed into. I'm sure the children are hungry; your attendants will have food brought up to your rooms if any of you want to eat. I'll meet you for dinner."

She walked away from them, immersed in her own thoughts, and went up to her room to change. Sarai, Tessie, Rose, and Delia were already there and had an outfit picked out for their mistress to wear. They began to put it on her quickly as to not keep the council waiting. "You seem distressed, my lady," Rose said quietly as she wiped the sweat from Iris' face and arms. Iris smiled sadly. "There is just so much I don't understand about these Mallrats, Rose," she answered. "Most of them are nice. But I don't understand Amber at all. She seems to dislike everything about our city." "She is the leader, is she not?" Tessie asked.

"Yes, although she is not the leader of all of them," Iris replied. "And there's something strange about that Ebony girl. I was warned about her by Ram. Yet there's something that they aren't telling me about him as well." "I'm sure you'll learn more as you get to know them, Highness," Tessie remarked. "Yes . . . but will I want to know what their secrets are?" Iris asked. "The way they act . . . it's as if something terrible, worse than the virus they are running from, has happened." The girls glanced at each other curiously and continued to dress their Queen. Not too long afterwards, Iris made her appearance downstairs to the Council.

She and the Council took care of the various problems that needed their attention before the issue of the Mallrats was brought up. "Majesty," Althea began, "what of those who arrived here in the boat? What will be done with them?" "I am still not sure," Iris said quietly. "I would like to offer them a home here." "But are they people we want living amongst us?" Ethan asked. "You have spent the most time with them, Majesty, what do you think?" Malik gave Iris a knowing glance, having been the only other one there privy to the scene at the hospital. "I have yet to form an opinion on the characters of some of them," Iris said carefully. The Council nodded in agreement.

"I believe that the ones who were former Technos may be of use to us in learning new things," Gray said slowly. "But I agree that we should get to know them more before we decide." "I agree with Ethan," Crystal said. "And I also think that if we do decide to offer them a home here, the offer should only be given to those who deserve it." "What do you mean, exactly?" Iris asked. Crystal paused a moment to gather her thoughts. "It's just that . . . and I know this sounds silly . . . a few of them give me the creeps. Like there's something . . . wrong. And I think they are keeping secrets." "I understand what you mean," Iris said, "but that's something we'll talk about when the time comes.

Iris met the Mallrats for dinner later that evening. They sat down to a beef stew and new bread in the main dining room of the hotel. Some of the Mallrats looked wary, waiting for Iris to ask what the outburst with Ved was all about, but she never did. Instead, when the meal was over, Iris stood up and asked Jay to come with her to her room. Amber froze and looked at Iris with narrowed eyes. The others looked at each other in surprise and curiosity. Jay merely nodded at Iris and started to follow her out of the room, but Amber stopped him. "Why would you need to go to her room?" she asked evenly. "There are things I want to discuss with her," Jay told her. "What kind of things?" Amber asked. "I'll tell you when I get back, Amber," said Jay wearily. "Don't worry so much."

With that he turned and left. He followed Iris through the hallways, past her guards into her suite of rooms. She waved away all her attendants, leading Jay into a small side parlor, and motioned for him to sit. "You were going to tell me about Ved and Cloe," Iris began, "and you can explain what happened today while you're at it." Jay took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. "Do you want to know all of it?" he asked. "All of the reason why we're here as well?" Iris nodded. "It would be nice," she said. "I'd like to know exactly what sort of people I'm letting stay in my home. There is much I don't understand." Jay sighed. "You have a right to know," he said slowly. "There are some of us you may not want here . . . but . . ." "Just tell me," she insisted.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Jay's Story

"Ved is my younger brother, you know that already," Jay began. "When the virus came, I didn't know what to do with him, he was a scared little boy and to tell you the truth, so was I. We were from a town about sixty miles from the city we just came from. The kids in the town formed tribes, nowhere near as large as the ones in the city, but big enough to where we needed leaders and a council to keep them all in order. I was the leader of one. Everything was going well. Ved was thriving, our tribe was working hard, there was food to eat . . . and I was in love." "Amber?" Iris asked. Jay shook his head. "No. Her name was Allie." "What happened?" Iris asked softly.

Jay looked at Iris with a sad, angry expression. "She died. From a cut on her finger that got infected." Iris looked appalled. "How horrible!" she cried. Jay nodded. "I was devastated after Allie's death. I didn't see any reason for attempting to survive in a world where someone could die from something so small. It was . . . one of the reasons I joined the Technos." "How did you find them?" Iris asked. "They found me," Jay answered. "They came looking for recruits, and I left my tribe to listen to what their leader had to say. He promised to create a new world, with order, hospitals, schools . . . and I believed him. The Technos drove cars, they flew airplanes, they had high-tech weapons . . ."

"I take it the leader didn't keep his promises?" Iris put in. Jay sighed and played with the tassels of a pillow on the chair. "I believed him, for so long. I went along with things that at first, I found horrible, but . . ." "You got used to them," Iris said, nodding. He nodded in agreement. "Yes." He had a strange look on his face that Iris found unsettling. "And Ved?" she asked him. Jay shook his head. "I shouldn't have joined them," he said quietly. "Ved . . . he became a different person. He became cruel, overbearing, selfish . . ." "Like the leader?" Iris asked. He nodded. "Just like the leader. Ved became a sort of apprentice to . . . to the leader."

Iris' eyes narrowed as she contemplated what Jay was saying. She knew there was something he wasn't telling her. "Jay," she asked, "who was the leader?" He looked at her with resignation. "Ram. Ram was the leader." Her eyes widened. "Ram? The . . ." "The person here at the hotel, yes," Jay finished. "Let me explain . . ." "You'd better," Iris said coldly. Jay cleared his throat. "Like I said before, Ram had the Technos doing some terrible things. I was his head general. We overran cities and captured people . . . don't ask where we sent them because I don't know. Ram did experiments on some of the people, but I didn't know how terrible they were until much later. We came to the city the Mallrats are from, did the same thing there."

"Yet you're friends with them?" Iris asked frostily. "Ebony was the leader of the city," Jay continued. "I ended up falling in love with her, we had a relationship. Ram wanted her, he was married to her two sisters, Java and Siva, and he wanted all three. Anyway, that was part of it. I think he really desired her, for herself. In some ways, she was like him. He set up a virtual reality program that showed me kissing Amber, she believed it to be true, and married him. I was angry. And, I admit, heartsore. Not heartbroken, but heartsore. But Ebony soon found out that Ram had lied to her about me, and we continued our relationship behind his back. We ran away together. That was when I met Amber. I couldn't help but want her. She was an amazing woman."

"So you left Ebony?" Iris asked. He shook his head. "No. I still loved Ebony. But Amber changed me. I didn't want to run away, I wanted to return to the city and take Ram down. Ebony didn't want to, and that was when we began to fall apart. She knew, even then, that I had a thing for Amber. We argued about it constantly. But she returned with me." "It seems like she loved you more than you loved her," Iris said with a raised eyebrow. Jay sighed and nodded. "Maybe. But Ebony loves herself more than she loves anyone else," he said. "Anyway, we went back to the city. I had a contact inside the Technos, a friend of mine called Mega. Through him, and by joining with the Mallrats, we brought Ram down."

"What about Ved and Cloe?" Iris asked. "You have barely mentioned them." Jay's eyes narrowed. "Ved fell in love with Cloe," he said. "She was a Mallrat. Ved treated her badly sometimes, but he truly loved her. Being around Ram didn't teach him much about how to treat others. I could see why he loved her. She wasn't afraid of him. She wasn't above getting even with him when he was cruel. But Ram found out about her, and took her away. I'm not sure where she was taken, but I have my suspicions." "What do you mean?" Iris asked, looking fearful. "Ram was the sort of person who would have tortured Cloe through virtual reality just because he was angry with Ved," Jay told her. "And I'm sure when he was done, he sent her to an experiment center."

He shook his head, looking weary. "Ved demanded Cloe's return. Ram told him he would fight him for her. They played a virtual reality game and Ram won. I don't know what happened to Ved after that. It seemed like he just disappeared. I was devastated." Iris' stern expression softened. "I'm sorry," she said. Jay looked up at her with a small smile. "Now what happened after Ram was taken down?" Iris asked. "How did you come to be friends with him?" "We aren't friends, exactly," Jay said. "He helped us defeat Mega." Iris looked confused. "I thought Mega was your friend?" "I thought he was, but it ended up that he wanted Ram defeated so he could take over. And in a lot of ways, he was more cruel than Ram."

Iris blinked, uncomprehending. "Crueler than Ram . . ." Jay nodded. "Yes. At least Ram never threatened babies." "What?" Iris cried. "Mega basically told Amber she had to help him or he would hurt Bray," Jay explained. "And he used Trudy to find me after Trudy found out about me and Amber." Iris' forehead creased in confusion. "I . . . thought you were with Ebony." "I was, but she left me, paranoid that Amber and I were together. Mega and Ebony's sister Java used virtual reality to mess up her mind. She formed her own tribe, the Zootists, and . . . well, that's a whole other story. Anyway, once she left me, I did try for Amber, but she was angry that her baby's father had been killed by the Technos, so she pushed me away. I ended up with Trudy."

"And broke her heart, once Amber decided she did want you," Iris finished, looking at him coldly. Jay looked a bit surprised. "Yes. If that's the way you want to put it. Anyway, Mega used Trudy to find me. I was so angry about what he did to Amber that I tried to kill him. He captured me, but I escaped. I found Ram. He was living with Slade and Ruby. I found out that . . . it wasn't him who killed Ved. It was Mega. If it would have been Ram, I would never have been able to work alongside him. Without Ram, we would never have taken Mega out. But it was Ram's computer program that created the virus we left the city because of."

"And that's your story?" Iris asked, shaking her head. He nodded. "That's my story." Iris was silent for several minutes before speaking again. "You did some terrible things in your lifetime, Jay," she said finally. "Even here, far away from the mainland, we have heard about the Technos and the things they have done. You seem to be truly sorry for what you did under Ram, and for that I can forgive you. You were caught up in something that ran away with you. That can happen, especially in these times. But I admit, the way you seem to be able to throw away women you supposedly are in love with, the way you lied to them, makes me wonder about you."

Jay looked surprised. "I didn't lie to any of them!" he said. Iris snorted. "You lied to Ebony when you told her you didn't want Amber. You lied to Trudy about the same thing, and entered into a relationship with her on false pretenses." Jay's mouth opened and shut with only a squeak coming out. "Now, I think that is enough for one night," Iris said coldly. "You understand, in order for the Council to allow you to remain here permanently, you will have to tell them all this." Jay nodded, still looking shocked. "Then I will say goodnight," Iris said, waving him away imperiously.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Mallrats Decide

Iris met with the Mallrats the following morning to discuss Ruby's funeral. She explained that it was the custom of the city for the dead to be placed on a bier so all those in the city could come to pay their respects, bringing flowers to be burned along with the body. No one worked on the day of the funeral, and a communal feast was held where stories about the deceased would be told. That night, Iris and the deceased's tribal leader, as well as any family or close friends would stand in front of the entire city and say a few words before the body was set on fire. Iris told the Mallrats that she and the council had decided that if it was their wish, Ruby would be given such a funeral.

Slade choked up with emotion at Iris' words, understanding that it was a big deal for something like a customary funeral to be offered to someone who wasn't part of the city. He looked around and noticed that everyone else seemed to be waiting for him to answer, but to his surprise he found that he couldn't speak. To everyone's shock, it was Ebony who quietly spoke up. "I think . . . that Ruby would have liked it better if she was given a small funeral," Ebony said slowly. "With only the people who knew her . . . and maybe done the same way as you said funerals are done here. I'm sure she would have appreciated your offer for the whole city to attend, but that's what I think she would have wanted."

When she finished, Ebony's eyes narrowed and she looked at the floor angrily, aware that everyone was staring at her. "If that is what you want, I can arrange it," Iris said, looking around at the group. "It is what Ruby would have wanted," Ram said stonily. Iris nodded. "Then I will have everything set up for tomorrow," she told them. "In the meantime, there are things that have come to my attention that need to be discussed. I know I gave you a week to decide if you wanted to stay, but I think the time you have had has been adequate. I meet with the Council in an hour, and I would appreciate the presence of all of you, except the children if you wish to leave them with attendants." The Mallrats gave each other confused looks while Jay stared at the ground, turning red. Both Ebony and Ram saw his face and instantly grew wary. Iris excused herself and went to prepare for the meeting.

The hour passed quickly, and as the group was ushered into the meeting hall, more than a few felt a bit anxious. Every member of the Council was there, as well as Iris in her full regalia. The Mallrats noticed that none of Iris' ladies were present, nor were any other attendants. Iris motioned towards a group of chairs that were placed in the middle of the room facing herself and the Council. "Please sit," she told them. When everyone had taken a seat, she waited for a moment before rising to speak.

"After discussing you all with the Council, I have decided to offer most of you a place to live here in the city," Iris said clearly. "However, there are some of you who need to answer for some things before you can be voted upon." Amber stood up. "I'm sorry," she said coldly, "but you haven't even asked us if we _want_ to remain here. I was under the impression that you would offer us a boat and supplies if we wanted to leave." Iris raised an eyebrow at her tone. "The offer still stands, Amber. If you want to leave, I will have someone take you to the mainland. Am I to understand that none of you wish to stay?" "I'm not sure I want to," Amber snapped. "There are things I don't agree with in the way this city is run."

The Council gave Amber severe glares and began murmuring amongst themselves. Ethan raised his hand and Iris nodded for him to speak. He stood up slowly. "You all must understand that if you remain here and become citizens, one of the conditions under which you can stay is that you will follow _our_ laws. You will not be treated as separate citizens, nor will you be allowed to make your own rules, although you may remain in your tribe." Althea raised her hand as Ethan took his seat. "You will also be required to find jobs and work," she said sternly. "That is also a law of the city. No one receives food or shelter unless they contribute."

Amber looked angry. "You force people to do things they don't want to, and you have laws whose punishments involve murder and slavery!" she cried. "That's barbaric! That's why I don't want to stay! And I don't see the rest of us remaining here, either!" "If that is what . . ." Iris began. Trudy stood up slowly, a pained but resolute look on her face. "It is not what all of us want," she said quietly. Amber jerked around. "Trudy, what . . ." Amber spat out, but Trudy held up her hand and looked up at Iris. "Ever since the virus, I have felt nothing but fear and worry," she said. "After my daughter was born, and everything that has happened to us . . ." She broke off, attempting to control her emotions. "I want a stable place to live, where my daughter can grow up safely and I don't have to continually worry about what will happen!" Trudy turned to Amber with a sad expression. "I want to stay. I don't want to leave. And if you choose to go, I am not going to go with you."

Before Amber could retort, Iris spoke up. "Then we will do this one by one. All those in favor of allowing Trudy to become one of us, raise your hands." Iris and every member of the Council raised their hands in assent. Amber's mouth opened and shut with no sound coming out. Trudy's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you," she said, and sat down. "Salene?" Iris asked. Salene stood up and put her arm on Trudy's shoulder. "I'm tired of all the chaos," she said firmly. "I'd like to stay." "All those in assent?" Iris asked. The council all raised their hands. Iris asked May, Jack, Ellie, Sammy, Gel, and Lottie the same question, and all opted to stay. All were voted in. Amber sat down in a chair, looking sad, confused, and defeated. "What about me?" Lex asked petulantly. Iris smiled. "Do you want to stay?" she asked. Lex crossed his arms. "I'm not too happy about having to work, but I'll stay," he said. The Council voted him in as well. "Sarai will be happy," Iris said with a smile. Lex grinned and leaned back in his chair.

"Slade?" Iris asked. Slade looked up at Iris contemplatively. "Before I answer," he said slowly, "I'd like to know what you meant by some people have to explain some things." Iris nodded, giving him a gentle smile. "Please understand that we here on Genesis Island want nothing but peace and happiness," Iris said soberly. "Therefore, I cannot put my people in jeopardy by allowing people to live here that I know have done terrible things, if I am not sure they have changed. I do wish to be fair, that is why I am allowing Ebony, Jay, and Ram to defend themselves against the rumors we have heard." She turned her attention to Jay. "Jay, I know you wish to stay here," Iris said. "Would you tell your story to us?"

Jay nodded and told the Council exactly what he had told Iris the night before. At the mentions of Ram and the things he had done, the Council members looked appalled. A few even looked at Jay with disgust. When he was finished, Jay sat back down and Iris glanced at the Mallrats. "You all know Jay better than we do," she said. "Is there anything any of you would like to add?" Jack, Trudy, and Ellie all raised their hands. Iris nodded at Jack. "Jay was a Techno once, but he's a great guy!" Jack said. "He'd have a lot to offer you if you let him stay." Jay gave his friend a glance of thanks. Ellie stood up quickly. "I'd just like to say that he never was as cruel to any of us as the other Technos were, even when he was a Techno. He has a lot of good qualities, and we're glad he joined us." "I agree," Trudy said softly. "He is a wonderful man."

Iris waited to see if any of the Council raised their hands, but none did. "Shall we vote then?" she asked. "All those in favor?" More than half of the Council raised their hands. Jay looked relieved, but when he looked over at Amber his face fell. She was staring at him with hurt and pain in her eyes and turned away from his gaze. "Ebony," Iris said, bringing his attention back to the proceedings, "you are next."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Ebony

Ebony stood up slowly, her arms crossed. Iris looked at her with a mixture of pity and apprehension. "Ebony," Iris said quietly, "do you wish to stay here? If you do, there are questions I would like answered truthfully. Remember that you are allowed to state your reasons for doing things you have done without interruption, but those who came with you will be allowed to state anything you've done. If you don't want to stay, there is nothing you have to explain." Ebony stared stonily at the floor. "I would like to stay," she said finally.

"You were accused of pushing Ruby in front of a truck, as well as harming those whom you hated. What do you say to that?" Iris asked. "Now wait just a minute!" Slade said angrily, standing up. "What happened to Ruby was an accident!" Ebony took a deep breath and held up a hand. "I pushed Ruby in front of the truck," she said. Slade stared at her in pained shock and disbelief. Several of the Mallrats gasped in horror. Ellie narrowed her eyes. "I thought so!" she cried loudly. "Ebony?" Slade finally asked. Ebony looked up at the ceiling and then back at Iris. "I hated her. I was afraid Slade would leave me for her once the baby was born. I'm sick and tired of men leaving me for other women. Zoot would have gone back with Trudy and their child. Bray left me for Amber. Jay left me for Amber. Then I finally think I found someone, and he's gotten another girl pregnant."

Iris raised an eyebrow at the mention of Amber and glanced over at the girl. Slade shook his head and sat down with his face in his hands. Ebony paid no attention to him. The Council stared down at her as if they were looking at a poisonous snake. "What about the others you were supposed to have hurt?" Iris asked. Ebony sighed. Ellie jumped up and went into a long speech about everything Ebony had done since she had known her. Ebony stood in silence, not even looking at Ellie with anger. When Ellie was through, the room was completely silent for several minutes. Malik raised his hand, and Iris nodded for him to speak. "I would like to ask you a question, Ebony. How did you feel when your sisters died, fighting over you?"

"I don't want to talk about how I felt," Ebony snapped. "It's not something I want to think about." Malik and Iris exchanged glances. "Would you have prevented it?" Iris asked. Ebony drew in her breath. "I would have, if I could. But there was nothing I could have done. If I would have known that Siva . . ." She broke off and looked back up at the ceiling. "It would have been better if Java would have killed me." Joker raised his hand. "How do you justify the rest of the things you have done?" he asked bluntly. Ebony looked at him for a moment and shook her head. "I can't," she said simply. "I used to tell myself it was to survive, that no matter what, I had to survive, and not only that, I had to be the one in power. To me, power was everything. Those in power didn't die. They always had food, water, everything they needed. Even when the rest were starving. But that excuse doesn't work anymore does it? It was never true. It was just me, selfish and uncaring."

"That's for damned sure," Ellie spat. Ebony turned to her coldly. "You tried to kill me," she said evenly. "What do you have to say to that?" The Council began to murmur amongst themselves, as did the Mallrats. Iris stood up and called for order. "No one here can honestly say they have done nothing terrible since the virus," she said quietly. "The only reason we are examining Ebony is because we must be sure she will not do anything terrible here." Everyone quieted down, with many of the Council and the Mallrats looking sober, each thinking of things they had done in the past. When everyone was quiet, Iris looked at Ebony. "If you are allowed to stay, what will you do with your life?" she asked her.

"I'm tired of everything," Ebony said slowly. "I just want some damned peace. I'll work for my living, but there's not much I can do well, except fight. I can't erase what I've done. I'm not sorry for a lot of it, but I am sorry for what I did to Ruby. If you don't let me stay, that's fine. I'll leave, and find peace somewhere else." Iris looked over at the Mallrats. "Do any of you have anything to say?" she asked them. No one spoke. "How many of you believe Ebony should be given a second chance?" Iris asked quietly. Trudy raised her hand immediately, remembering what she had done when she went over to the Chosen, things no one in her tribe knew about. Salene glanced at May and raised her hand as well. May interpreted the glance as a reminder of several horrible things she had done, and raised her hand. Jay raised his as well, with a guilty look on his face. After several moments had passed, Amber did too, surprising Iris.

Althea raised her hand and stood up. "I think, considering the circumstances, that instead of voting whether or not Ebony should stay or go, we should vote on whether she should be allowed a trial period." Iris thought for a moment. "That is sufficient, and quite reasonable, Althea," she said. "Those in favor of voting on a trial period?" Every member of the Council raised their hands. "Those in favor of allowing Ebony a trial period?" Iris asked. Althea, Malik, and Joker raised their hands. Ethan, Crystal, and Gray kept their hands down. "A tie," Iris said musingly. "Therefore I will make the decision, but I will take a little more time to decide. After this meeting, the Council and I will meet privately, where each member will state their arguments in favor or not to me. I will give my decision tomorrow, Ebony."

Ebony merely nodded and sat down. "Slade, do you want to stay or not?" Iris asked the young man, who still had his head in his hands. "I . . . I don't know," he mumbled. Iris shrugged. "Then that leaves you, Ram." Ram glared at her and looked away. "It seems you have much to explain," Iris continued. He sighed loudly. "Then there's no reason to explain it, is there?" he snapped. "No matter what, I'll have to leave." "Do you want to leave?" Iris asked him. "Of course not!" Ram cried. "I don't want to be thrust back into that uncivilized mess!" "Is that all you want to remain here for?" Malik asked scathingly, speaking out without permission. "Safety? You know that many of our people were once slaves of yours! What about Ved and Cloe?" Ram's face tightened and his eyes filled with tears. He looked away, embarrassed.

"Malik," Iris said quietly, with authority. It was all she had to say. Malik turned to her, and bowed his head. "Forgive me, your Majesty," he said quickly. Iris nodded. "Ram," she asked gently, "do you want to stay here?" Ram nodded, not looking at her. "I think it would be easier if you just began with what happened to you after the virus, and go from there," Iris said, her curiosity about him too great to be satiated with only a few answers to a few questions. Ram glared at her. "Fine," he said shortly.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Ram

"My father was in the military, one of the highest ranking generals," Ram began. "He ran our family with the same orderliness he used to train his troops. He also taught me quite a lot about military tactics and such. I never went to school, I was the only child and Father and Mother were extremely protective of me. Father hired some of his military friends to tutor me. Much of my education was in military technology. That is where I learned everything I know . . . but I was always a genius when it came to that sort of thing." He smirked and began to pace the room.

"When the virus came, I was taken to the military base along with Father and Mother. I wasn't the only child from a military family taken there. When all the adults died, I took control of the base. My ability to keep the base running as if there weren't any virus made the other twenty children choose me as their leader. I used my technology know how to open the sealed doors in the base and find out what new things were being built. The stunners were just one of the secrets I found. I taught some of the others how to use the technology and we began building what I liked to call the Empire."

Ram looked around the room before continuing. "We began recruiting others to come live in the base. Eventually there were over fifty living there, all under my control. I had some trained in fighting techniques, while others were taught about technology, how to run power plants, fly planes, and things of that sort. It was there I built my first virtual reality program." His face grew sullen. "It was while I was using the program that I climbed a wall and jumped off, believing I could fly. I became paralyzed from the waist down, and I believe the virtual reality program glitched, causing me to believe viruses were after me. It is still hard for me to believe I am still alive from breathing the air."

The others rolled their eyes. "What made you decide to try to take over the cities?" Iris asked. Ram sighed. "I am not sure. I just began recruiting more and more members, decided to call my organization the Technos, and continued teaching those beneath me some of what I knew. Mega was one of the few people I taught more than others." "Obviously," Ellie snapped. Ram made a face at her. "Anyway, once I believed we were strong enough, I began raiding small towns. It was in one of those that I met Jay and Ved, and convinced them to join me. I noticed Ved's aptitude for technology quickly; and soon began teaching him alongside Mega. Jay was a great addition to my organization as well; he was a good leader and excellent fighter. The others looked up to him, and I used that to my advantage."

"We began taking over cities and installing troops in each one. There was a network of over fifty Techno stations when I came upon Centre City . . . or, as I like to call it, the city of my downfall," Ram said angrily. "What happened to those you captured, and how did you choose who would stay and who would be shipped out?" Iris asked. Ram's jaw tightened. "Whoever was in the street when we invaded was taken," he said. "We left the rest. Some of the ones who were taken were sold as slaves; others were shipped off to work in various Techno operations; some were used as guinea pigs for experiments; the rest were used as bargaining chips."

Most of the people listening had angry looks on their faces, especially Lex, Amber, and Ellie. Althea raised her hand, and Iris gave her permission to speak. "What do you mean; bargaining chips?" she asked angrily. Ram sneered. "In all the cities we conquered, we told the remaining members of the tribes that if they did not cooperate with us, their friends would be killed. The ones taken were told the same thing. Once in a while, I allowed someone to be returned, with implanted memories of what had happened to them in place, just so the ones who remained believed the story." Gray raised his hand and stood up. "Why do you call some of the ones you took guinea pigs?" he asked.

"I needed humans to experiment with," Ram said casually. "I could not perfect my mental torture devices, virtual reality programs, or anything like that without them." The room burst into outraged murmurs. "You pig!" Ellie cried. "Is that what you did to Cloe?" Iris asked him, her tone chillingly cold. Ram looked directly at her. "I was angry at Ved, and I used Cloe with that in mind," he said stonily. "I am not proud of it, but that was the person I was." "What exactly did you do?" Jay asked. Ram took a deep breath and looked at the floor before responding. "I tortured her with virtual reality programs. I made her believe that she killed Ved, caused her to have nightmares to that effect. I made her believe that Ved raped her and tortured her himself. I also let her become addicted to Paradise, then would withhold it from her and keep her in a bare cell for days at a time before allowing her five minutes more of the game."

Salene began to cry. The others were completely silent, staring at Ram as if he were a leper. "And you . . . you want us all to believe you changed?" Iris asked quietly. "He has changed," Slade said, the first time he had spoken in a while. "He's not the same as he was before." Ebony looked over at Slade with a twinge of hope in her eyes but he ignored her. "He did help us defeat Mega," Amber said reluctantly. "Although he did create that virtual Zoot." "That was a mistake, I didn't mean to do that," Ram mumbled. Malik stood up when Iris nodded at him. "I think you're a disgusting, masochistic bastard," he said coldly, "and you deserve to be tied up and thrown to the sharks more than you deserve to live here."

Ram visibly trembled as he glared at Malik. Iris stood up. "Does anyone have anything to say in Ram's defense?" she asked. No one said a word. "Then we will vote. Those in favor of allowing Ram to stay?" Not one hand was raised. Ram looked frightened. "If you allow me to stay, I will show you where the others are!" he shouted quickly. "What do you mean?" Ellie cried. "I would like to know that myself," Iris said. "I can locate the places I sent the people from Centre City," Ram explained, looking terrified. "You would be able to locate the ones you're missing." "That has nothing to do with us," Malik snarled. "None of ours were taken." The members of the Council nodded.

"Wait, you're saying you know where the others are?" Amber asked Ram, looking skeptical. "I thought they were dead." Ram rolled his eyes. "Deleted doesn't necessarily mean dead," he said, crossing his arms. "It means their file was deleted." "What!" Amber cried, standing up quickly. "You . . . you're a liar!" Lex stood up slowly. "He's not," he said quietly. "What?" many of the others asked. "How do you know?" Ellie asked tearfully. Lex shrugged. "How I know isn't the problem. Just know that Ram's telling the truth." "You knew this and you didn't say anything?" Amber demanded. "I didn't want to tell anyone," Lex said angrily, "because I didn't want to raise your hopes. I didn't think we'd be able to find them anyway."

Iris chewed on her bottom lip. "You're saying if we let you stay, you will help these people find their loved ones?" she asked. "Majesty!" Malik cried, staring at her, aghast. Ram nodded. "I'll do it, only if you let me stay," he said. Iris thought for a moment. "I believe it is time for dinner," she said quietly. "Why don't you Mallrats go eat? I want to speak with my Council."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Decisions

Iris rubbed her temples, sighing heavily. Malik, Ethan, Althea, Joker, Crystal, and Gray watched her warily; each wondering what she was thinking. Malik leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, tossing his straight brown hair out of his eyes as he did so. "What a terrible position to be in," Ethan said quietly. Crystal stared at him. "There is no position to be in," she said wonderingly. "It is obvious Ram is using this as a ploy to remain here. He must be cast out." "But what if he is telling the truth?" Ethan asked her. "Ved told me himself that there were many Mallrats taken. What if this is their only way to find them?"

"When did he tell you this?" Malik asked casually, glaring at the man considered the main spiritual guide and counselor in the city. Ethan met Malik's eyes without fear. "He told me so yesterday," he answered. "Ved came to me with the truth of everything he has done, everything Ram has done. He was very upset and needed to cleanse his soul." "Ved told you about Ram, and you didn't say anything to me?" Iris asked incredulously. Ethan inclined his head with a sad smile. "It was in confidence, Your Majesty. Ved was so troubled that I feared he might do something stupid. I questioned him, and found that he would only talk to me if he could tell the truth without fear of reprisal."

Iris sighed. "Poor Ved. And poor Cloe to have to see that horrible man again." Crystal nodded. "So you will cast him out, my Queen?" she asked. Iris bit her lip. "I am torn between this," she admitted. "My instincts want him gone . . . or at least imprisoned. But . . ." Althea smiled at her Queen and nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean," she said. The others looked at her, confused. "Think of it," Althea continued, looking from face to face. "How many of us have lost someone from the virus, or after the virus to some stupid thing like a cold or an accident? How many of you would give anything to bring just one person back?"

Gray looked down at his hands. "That is true," he said quietly. "I would give anything to have Jade back. She was all I had left who shared my blood." Malik shook his head. "Even so," he said sharply, "we cannot consider Ram's request." "So you believe we should allow him to leave, knowing there is a chance these people can find their loved ones?" Althea asked. "I heard from Trudy that Amber's child's father was one who was taken. He has never seen his child. Should the slim chance that the man can be found and reunited with his family be thrown away because of Ram?" Before Malik could reply, Ethan spoke up quietly. "To be fair, we must take into account the chance that Ram has truly changed."

Malik snorted. "Yes, and I was Queen of England until the virus took away all my subjects." Iris shook her head warningly at her favorite counselor. "Joker, you haven't said a word about this," she said, looking over at him. "What do you think?" Joker sighed and sat up straighter. "We have all done terrible things since the virus," he said slowly. "But what Ram did . . . that was worse than anything any of us have done. He would have been killed if he did these things under our laws." "This is ridiculous!" Malik cried angrily, standing up and slamming his fist on the table. "Ram cannot remain here!"

"Malik!" Iris cried. He stiffened and bowed to her in apology. "Forgive me," he said stiffly. "What if we let him remain on the condition that each and every Mallrat he shipped off must be found within six months?" Althea asked. "That way, those who have lost someone have a chance of finding them, and there is also a chance that he won't succeed and will have to leave." "No!" Malik spat. "Don't you see this is a ploy?" "Lex agreed that Ram was not lying," Ethan said quickly. "That should be taken into account." "I agree that under no circumstances should Ram be allowed to stay, unless a proper search for the missing Mallrats is made," Iris said. "But I am more concerned with whether or not Ram will behave after the fact."

"It is too dangerous," Malik said sharply. "Much too dangerous to our city, our citizens . . . and to you, my Queen." The last words were spoken gently. Althea and Ethan exchanged knowing glances. Iris' expression softened a little. "Malik," we must do what is in the best interest of everyone," she said. "And the Mallrats are now part of our community." "Except Amber," Gray put in, "we never voted on her." "I see her becoming a problem," Joker said, "she's very vocal about not liking our laws. At the very least, Ram put on a façade of wanting to conform." "As much as I agree with you," Iris said, "she is not our concern as of now. Ram is."

"Then let's vote, with your permission," Althea said, looking up at Iris, who nodded. "Those in favor of allowing Ram to stay on condition that all lost Mallrats are found?" She, Gray, and Ethan raised their hands. "Those in favor of shipping him out?" Althea asked. Malik, Crystal, and Joker raised their hands. "A tie," said Althea. "Majesty?" Iris shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "I just don't know yet. I think I'll sleep on it, and give an answer tomorrow." She stood up. "Thank you all for your input. Now go home and get some sleep. It seems we'll need our rest for tomorrow."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: That Night

Amber fought back tears as she climbed into her bed. Jay was still sleeping in another room, they still hadn't made up from their fight. She curled up into a ball and closed her eyes, wondering what was going to happen. A soft knock came at the door and Trudy slipped in quietly. "Amber? You awake?" she asked. Amber sat up. "Yes." Trudy came over and sat next to her friend. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened today." "I hoped you would," Amber said with a weak smile. "You know how it has been for Brady and me," Trudy began. "A lot of it was my own doing . . ." Amber shook her head. "No, it wasn't, Tru," she told her. Trudy smiled. "I need a safe place for her, Amber. Please understand."

"I do, Trudy, it's just that . . . well . . . so much," Amber half-laughed, half-sobbed. Trudy's eyes widened. "Amber! What's the matter?" Amber laughed through her tears. "I was stupid and selfish," she cried. "I was so mad when Jay found Ved!" Trudy put her arms around her friend, looking incredulous. "What do you mean?" she asked. Amber began to sob. "I thought . . . for just one second . . . that if Ved was here then maybe, just maybe Bray would be too!" Trudy patted Amber on the back. "That doesn't make you stupid and selfish, Amber. It just makes you want to find your baby's father. And if Ram knows where they are . . ."

"He doesn't!" Amber cried. "You know he doesn't! He's just saying that so he can stay here!" Trudy shook her head. "But Lex said . . ." "I don't care!" Amber insisted. "But that . . . that's not all, Trudy." "What else is wrong?" Trudy asked. Amber looked down at her hands. "It's been . . . two months." Trudy looked confused. "Two months since what?" "Two months since . . . since I've had my period," Amber said quietly. A look of pain and shock crossed Trudy's face. "You're pregnant?" she asked, her tone a little higher than usual. Amber nodded. "I think so." "You and Jay . . ." Trudy began, her face flushing. "Yes, Trudy," Amber answered.

Trudy nodded, a single tear falling down her cheek. "I bet Jay is very happy," Trudy said quietly. Amber shook her head. "I haven't told him. We . . . we aren't speaking right now. He left because of how I felt about Genesis City." Trudy nodded again, obviously holding in intense emotions. "I think . . . I think I hear Brady," she whispered and fled from the room. Once inside the small room she and her daughter shared, Trudy shoved a blanket into her mouth to stifle her sobs.

_At the same time . . . _

Iris shut the door of the Council meeting hall and began to walk wearily up towards her room. She had taken only two steps when she was accosted by Malik. "Majesty . . . Iris . . ." he whispered, taking her hands in his, "you can't be thinking of letting that monster stay." Iris disengaged her hands gently. "I haven't decided yet, Malik," she said quietly. His hand went up to her cheek. "Iris . . . please . . ." "Malik, you cannot do this anymore," Iris told him, stepping back. "I told you, I can't think of you in that way. No matter how best of friends we are."

"You know I will always hope," Malik said gruffly. Iris watched him sadly. "I'm sorry, Malik." He shrugged, bowed, and left her. She sighed and continued up the stairs. Once in her room, she dismissed all her women and headed to the bathroom. After washing her face and hands, Iris brushed her hair and threw on a long, comfortable silk nightdress. Just before she was about to crawl into her bed, she heard a commotion at the door. "You can't come in!" she heard one of her guards say in an irritable tone. Iris rolled her eyes and stomped to the door in frustration. Throwing open the doors, she glared at her guards and opened her mouth to upbraid them. "I wanted to talk to you, alone," she heard a voice say. She turned to see Ram standing behind the open door, his brow furrowed with anxiety. Iris narrowed her eyes, intending to tell him to get lost, when something stopped her.

"Let him in," she said quietly. "My lady Queen . . ." began one of the guards, having heard of Ram's past from many others. Iris raised her chin. "Don't argue." With a fearful glance at his companion, the guard moved aside to let Ram pass. Iris followed Ram into her room, slamming the doors behind her. "What do you want?" she asked irritably. Ram looked at her standing in front of him, clad only in the thin nightdress with her hair tumbling around her angry face, and felt a jolt pass through his body. "I . . . I wanted to speak with you . . ." he stammered, trailing off at the end of his words. He still couldn't understand why it was so important to him to explain himself to this girl.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Ram Again

Iris stared at him in irritation. "Why on earth would you want to speak to me now?" she asked, turning away from him in disgust. "You don't have any more atrocities to admit to, do you?" Ram glowered at her. "No . . . I just thought . . ." "What? That you would attempt to coerce me to allow you to stay, without my Council present? What do you take me for, an idiot? I didn't become Queen because I am easily led, you know." Ivy took a deep breath after her outburst. "I am sorry," she said finally, embarrassed that he, of all people, should have seen her lose control. "I am very tired. Just say what you have to say and then leave."

"I didn't mean to . . . to make you think I was trying to coerce you," Ram said soberly. "I don't know for sure why I came to you personally." Iris' eyebrow rose, thinking _"He must think I'm really stupid, of course he came to me because it will be me who decides his fate."_ Ram continued to look at her silently for several minutes. "You think I'm a monster," he said accusingly. She said nothing. To her surprise, his eyes glistened with tears and he looked away. "You would have been correct in assuming such, if you had met me a few months ago," Ram said, without looking at her. "I _was_ a monster."

When Iris didn't answer, he continued. "I told you what I have done. What I didn't tell you was how I _felt_." Iris snorted. "How you felt? Besides feeling like you were God, and reveling in it, how do you mean?" Ram turned around quickly. "Did you love your parents, Iris?" She stared at him, stunned. "Why would you ask that?" she asked. "Because it is vital you understand!" Ram cried. "You should understand what the virus did to everyone when their parents were ripped from them! You know how it felt!" "I understand how it felt to know that there was no one left to care for us," Iris told him. Ram nodded. "Yes! Exactly! That, and being torn away from those you love . . ."

"You are using that as an excuse?" Iris asked. "Everyone lost their parents and family, Ram. No one else I know did the things you did." "No one could have loved my parents as much as I did!" Ram shouted. "No one!" His face took on a crazed expression. Iris stepped back as one of the guards knocked on the door. "Majesty, is everything all right?" "Yes," Iris answered, her eyes still on the man in front of her. Ram's jaw tightened and he began to pace in front of her. "I did what I did because my father would have wanted me to attempt to create sanity from the chaos," he said. "He would have been proud of me at first. So proud."

Ram stopped to look at Iris, tears streaming down his face. "It was my fault that I fell and became paralyzed. It was my fault I did not create a perfect program, so I would not carry the phobias I have carried for so long. My mind and my body were affected through my own faults, my own vanities. Can't you understand that?" Iris shook her head. "No, I can't, having never experienced it." "You can't understand, which is why you think me a monster," Ram answered. "The anger, the worry . . . everything I experienced . . . now that I look back, I can see what made me what I became."

"Ram," Iris began softly, "you continue to find excuses for what you have done. Will you ever take responsibility for your own actions?" Ram swallowed. "I have thought about this," he said, "for some time now. When I was in Liberty, imprisoned by my own body and Slade, I had plenty of time. I wanted to find some excuse for what I became, and found many that I thought were legitimate. My parents' deaths, my accident, betrayal from the only one I loved . . ." "You have had a harder than usual life," Iris broke in. "I sympathize with you, Ram, I really do. But that is not what my concerns are."

She walked over to her window and looked out into the night. "There are things all of us must live with," Iris said quietly. "We must live with things that happened before the virus, things that we have done afterwards in order to survive." Her lips pressed together tightly and she wrapped her arms around herself. Ram took a step towards her, as if he would hold her, but she turned around quickly. "But what must I do if you haven't truly changed, Ram?" she asked. "If you try to usurp my position? Run my city, all I have worked for, into chaos? What am I supposed to do with those who hate you, who would kill you at first glance? We have many of those you sold into slavery here on Genesis Island, Ram. Must I guarantee your safety at all times? What of Cloe, and what it would do to her already fragile well being to have you here?"

Tears began to trickle down her cheeks and she turned away again, letting out a cold laugh. "You must know how it feels to be afraid for what you have worked for," she said with grim amusement. "As everything you worked for, however hellish, was taken from you." "I will help the Mallrats find their loved ones if you let me stay," Ram said quickly. Iris turned slowly. "That is another reason I am reluctant to let you stay," she said. "You say you have changed, yet you will bargain lives for your own safety." She watched his face grow white. Without warning, he stepped forward and gripped her shoulders painfully. "Yes," Ram snapped; his face close to hers. "I use it as a bargaining tool. Do you think I want to die?"

Iris clamped her mouth shut so she wouldn't reveal how much he was hurting her. "I don't want to die, Iris, and I don't want your position. I no longer want leadership of any kind. I simply want to live." He laughed coldly. "If you worry about someone usurping your place, you shouldn't have allowed Ebony to remain here." Still she said nothing. Ram released her, his expression one of shock. "I'm . . . I'm sorry," he told her. "Danny . . ." Iris whispered. Ram stared at her. "What?" Iris blinked and turned her back to him. _Dark blue eyes the same shade as hers looked down at her through black strands of hair. Two strong hands gripped her shoulders painfully. "I'm . . . I'm sorry," he said, releasing her. "You are cruel," Iris said, "so cruel to me, Danny. Just because our parents have died . . ." "Don't ever bring that up again!" Danny shouted, storming off._

Iris closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the cold glass of the window. "You will be allowed to stay, if you find the lost Mallrats," she said quietly. "Now leave. Please." Ram stared at her, wondering why he did not want to leave her as she was. "Go!" Iris cried, turning around quickly. Ram nodded and left without another word. Iris looked down into the inky darkness and began to cry silently. "How can I force you to go, Ram?" she asked. "How can I, when Danny was worse than you?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Reaction

Iris stood in front of the Council and the Mallrats, the only signs betraying the fact she had slept not at all the night before were the shadows under her eyes and the weary tone of her voice. She carefully kept her gaze from Ram as she began to speak. "I have decided to allow Ram to stay here on Genesis, providing he finds all members of the Mallrat tribe who are missing," she told them. Iris closed her eyes for a moment, trying to keep herself from looking over at Malik, who was staring at her with incredulity and anger. "He will have exactly one year to find them," she continued, "and if he hasn't when that time is over, he will be sent away as a slave."

No one spoke. Iris waited for a moment before dismissing the Mallrats. Her Council gathered around her, waiting to hear why she had chosen the way she did. Malik remained at a distance, his eyes still blazing with anger. "My Queen . . ." Joker began. Iris held up a hand. "I am tired, Joker," she said wearily. "This has been a hard decision to make. But it is done now, and I trust no one will see fit to argue with their sovereign." Joker took in Iris' tiredness and nodded. "One reason I decided the way I did," Iris said quickly, "is because I am afraid of what Ram would do if we did send him away." The Council exchanged curious looks.

"You mean . . . you believe he would have attempted to take revenge?" Althea asked. Iris rubbed her temples and nodded. "As much as I hate to admit it, 'Thea . . . yes, I do. He is a genius, after all. Who could say whether or not he would have gathered forces and attempt to take over our island?" "We would have stopped him!" Malik said; his tone seething. "We have weapons and trained fighting men!" "You are speaking of a man who took over numerous cities and may still have troops available and willing to follow him!" Iris cried. Althea, Ethan, and Crystal exchanged glances and bowed their way out. Joker and Gray stared hard at Malik. "Don't talk that way to Her Majesty," Gray said in a quiet, yet forceful tone.

Malik glared at Gray, pressing his lips together so tightly that they turned white. "Thank you, Gray," Iris said. "I will speak to Malik alone. You and Joker need to return to your tribes. I have kept you from them for too long." After the two men left, Iris turned angrily to Malik. "You are overreaching yourself!" she cried. He shook his head. "I can't sleep at night for thinking of what will happen to you if that piece of shit remains here!" he shouted. Iris sighed. "It was my decision, and I made it," she told him. "You will have to live with it." She cried out as he grabbed her shoulders. "Yes," he said, "but will you?" With that he turned and walked away.

Iris watched him go before putting her hands to her face, willing herself not to cry. She let out a cry of fear and turned quickly as someone touched her shoulder. It was Jay. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you," he said, looking sheepish. "I just wanted to see how you were doing." His eyes rested on the door Malik had left through. Iris laughed shakily and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I take it you heard what Malik said?" she asked. Jay nodded. "I did. I'm sorry our coming here has caused such a disruption." She smiled. "I am glad we could help you," she said. "But I'm not too happy about this Ram thing."

Jay sighed and shook his head. "It is difficult to examine how I feel about him," he told her. "I hate him, pity him, and at the same time know he can be a truly useful asset." Iris nodded. "I pity him as well. But not as much as I pity those he ruined. What am I going to tell Ved?" Jay's face softened at the mention of his younger brother. "Let me handle Ved," he said with a smile. "And know that it won't only be Malik who will be watching Ram like a hawk. I'll have my eye on him as well; if he tries anything he won't get away with it." "Thank you," Iris said with a grateful smile.

"Have you seen Ved, by the way?" Jay asked. Iris shook her head. "No. But if you wish to see him, I can have someone show you where he and Cloe live." "I can't believe he's going to be a father," Jay said, running his hand through his hair. "He will be a great father," Iris answered, "you should have seen him when he announced Cloe's pregnancy." Jay laughed. "I wish I could have. What did he do?" The two began to walk down the corridor towards the courtyard as they spoke.

Iris smiled at the memory. "I had invited him and Cloe to dinner here with me and Malik," she said. "Cloe came into the room all quiet and looking at the floor as she usually does, although she did have a pink tinge to her cheeks and looked almost happy. Ved, on the other hand, was glowing like a light bulb!" Jay began to laugh. "Ved? I can't picture it!" "He did!" Iris cried. "His eyes were radiating happiness, his expression was just delighted . . . he was even bouncing as he walked!" She laughed, shaking her head. "He had this huge grin on his face, a big stupid one. It was hilarious!"

Jay laughed heartily. "No chance of getting a picture of it?" he asked. Iris smiled slyly. "When we heard the news, I insisted that he and Cloe have a picture taken to commemorate the occasion." "I would love to see it!" Jay said, delighted. "Ask Ved to show it to you," Iris answered. "He has it hidden, after the first happiness wore off, he realized his masculinity was threatened by how he looked." Jay snickered. "Now that sounds more like Ved," he said. They reached the entrance to the courtyard and stopped. "Would you like to take a walk outside?" Jay asked. Iris smiled but shook her head. "No, I think I'll go get some sleep," she said. "But thanks."

Jay smiled back. "I'll see you at dinner?" he asked. Iris shrugged noncommittally and grinned. "Maybe. I might sleep through it." "Do you want me to walk you to your room?" Jay asked, his eyes glinting. Iris stared for a moment, wondering how insinuating his question was. It sounded innocent enough, but his eyes told a different story. She felt herself being drawn in by his gorgeous brown eyes, his handsome, sexy smile, and his muscular body so full of delightful promise. Giving herself a small shake, Iris straightened up. "No . . . I'll be fine. But thank you," she said. She gave him a small smile and hurried away.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Slade

The next morning, Iris woke up to Sarai standing beside her bed, looking upset. Iris sat up immediately. "What happened?" she asked. "It's Slade, my Queen," Sarai told her quickly. "He has been shouting at Ebony since early this morning, and has been demanding a boat to leave." Iris sighed and dropped back onto her pillows for a moment. "Do I even have to ask what they are arguing about?" she asked. "In all honesty, Majesty, it isn't an argument," Sarai explained as Iris slid out of bed. "Ebony is just standing there quietly listening to Slade berate her. She didn't even move when he shook her."

Sarai moved to ring the bell to call the other ladies in to help Iris dress, but Iris shook her head. "No ceremony today, Sarai," Iris said as she hurried into her bathroom. "Just tell me everything that was said while I get ready. This needs attending to immediately." Sarai sat on a chair outside the bathroom while Iris got dressed and freshened up. "It began early, around dawn," Sarai began. "I heard shouting and went to see what it was. Slade and Ebony were in the front hall." "Whatever were they doing there so early?" Iris asked as she spread toothpaste on her toothbrush.

"I think Slade had just come into the hotel," Sarai said musingly. "It looked as if Ebony had just been about to go look for him and they happened to meet there. Anyway, I don't know what began the fight, but I did hear a lot of what Slade was shouting." "And that was?" Iris asked before splashing water on her face. "He said that he just couldn't believe she was responsible for Ruby's death. He kept asking how she could have pushed a pregnant woman in front of a truck." "What did Ebony say?" Iris asked. "She didn't say anything, Majesty. She just stood there, looking straight at Slade with this sad look in her eyes. I kept expecting her to hit him . . . at the very least shout back. But she didn't."

Iris said nothing so Sarai continued her story. "Anyway, I think it irritated Slade that she wasn't saying anything, so he grabbed her shoulders and shook her so hard I swear I heard her teeth cracking together. But she still didn't do anything, and the guards pulled him off of her. They told him to calm down. Slade's face grew all red and he glared at them. He asked them what they would do if the woman they loved murdered the woman who was pregnant with their child. Neither of them said anything, so Slade turned back to Ebony. He told her she was a murdering, terrible woman and he couldn't see how he had once loved her."

Iris came out of the bathroom wearing a pale green dress and a necklace, earrings, and bracelets made from strands of pearls. She had left her hair loose down her back, with a pearl headband holding it in place. Sarai smiled at her, nodding her approval, and the two of them hurried out into the hallway. "What happened then?" Iris asked. Sarai fell into step behind her mistress. "Slade walked out of the hotel and slammed the front doors as hard as he could," Sarai continued. "He kept pacing around the driveway, pulling at his hair and crying. That was when he began shouting for someone to give him a boat, he had to leave the island or he would kill himself or Ebony."

Iris' expression grew worried and she quickened her pace. Soon they were downstairs, where several Mallrats had congregated. Trudy, Ellie, Ram, and Salene were standing in the hall, watching as Jay and Amber attempted to reason with Slade, who was still pacing outside and shouting obscenities. Ebony was seated in a far shadowed corner of the room, her face in her hands. "Slade says he's going to kill Ebony," Ellie informed Iris as she approached. Trudy looked sorrowful. "The poor guy," she said, shaking her head. Iris felt Ram's eyes on her, but ignored him. "I will speak to him," Iris said with a sigh. "Does he still wish to leave?" Salene and Trudy nodded.

"He is saying he won't leave until Ruby is avenged," Salene whispered. "This isn't like Slade at all," Ram put in, his eyes still on Iris. "He has never acted like this since I've known him." Iris turned to look at Ram with hardened eyes. "Why aren't you out there talking to him?" she asked. He shrugged. "I wouldn't mind it if Ebony got what's coming to her," he said bluntly. "She did, after all, kill Java as well as Ruby. And I don't think Lex would mind Ebony's death either. He loved Siva." Iris fought the urge to roll her eyes. She felt irritated that she had allowed the drama-filled Mallrats and those who came with them on her island, but immediately squashed the feeling.

Without another word, Iris walked out to Slade. Two guards immediately fell in behind her, in case Slade grew violent. Amber glared at her as she approached, while Jay looked relieved. "If you two would leave us . . ." Iris said regally. Amber opened her mouth to protest, but Jay took her arm firmly and led her away. Slade took one look at Iris and slumped to the ground. "I know what you want to say," he said. "What do I want to say?" Iris asked, sitting beside him. "That I can't harm Ebony, and that I should leave," Slade said glumly. Iris smiled at him. "That is only half right, Slade. How can I blame you for wanting revenge?"

Slade pulled up a clump of grass and shook his head. "Amber's been telling me that revenge will only cause harm to myself . . . blah blah blah." He glanced at Iris. "I don't truly want to harm Ebony. I just . . . I just wish I had never been the cause of all this." "You blame yourself?" Iris asked. He nodded. "There were a lot of things I shouldn't have done. If only I hadn't slept with Ruby, knowing I didn't care for her. If only I hadn't slept with her again, once I knew I wanted Ebony. It wasn't fair to either of them . . . but I did it. If only I hadn't stayed at Ruby's saloon and caused her to love me. If only I hadn't brought Ebony there. I should have taken better care of Ruby once I knew she was pregnant."

"Those are a lot of 'If only's'," Iris told him, looking up at the sky. "Did any of these bother you before you knew Ebony hurt Ruby?" Slade stared at her for a moment. "I felt as if I shouldn't have gotten Ruby pregnant," he said finally. Iris hugged her knees to her chest. "One of the lessons I've learned as Queen," she said, "is that you can never look back on things and say 'If only I hadn't done that'. You can only look back on what you have done to learn not to make the same mistakes again. You are no fortune teller or psychic . . . how could you have known what would happen?"

He shrugged. "I was warned about Ebony," he said dully. "But I didn't listen. I wanted her too badly . . . lusted after her too hard." "Lusted . . . or loved?" Iris asked quietly. Slade looked at her, then up at the sky. "I believe I loved her. But I am sure I don't feel anything for her anymore." "It shows how good of a guy you are that you didn't listen to anyone's warnings about Ebony," Iris said, putting her hand over his. "You didn't take someone else's opinion of someone, and found out for yourself. God knows I'm sorry about what happened to Ruby. I know it is something you will always remember. But it is Ebony who will never forget it. She is the one who hurt her, not you."

"She killed her," Slade said. Iris nodded. "I believe she did it with the intent on killing the baby Ruby carried, not to kill Ruby herself. Is that what you believe?" Slade shrugged. "I don't know," he told her. "But intending on killing an unborn baby is just as bad. It was still a life she wanted to take." "I agree," Iris said. "Life is precious. That is why we don't allow abortions here on Genesis." Slade looked interested. "Could you perform them, even if you did allow it?" Iris nodded. "Yes. Our Healers know of herbs that can abort babies. But it isn't allowed."

Slade looked back down on the ground. "This is a good place you have here," he said. Iris smiled. "I like to think so. We've worked hard enough for it." "I don't think I can stay," Slade said quietly. "I understand. What will you do?" Iris asked. "Go back to the mainland," he answered. "Find my destiny." "You are always welcome to return if you wish," Iris told him. He smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Thanks. I'll remember that. And . . . don't worry about me. I won't hurt Ebony." "I hope you won't. You don't want that on your conscience," Iris said soberly.

Several hours later, Slade said his goodbyes and left the island. Ebony locked herself in her room.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: I've had this written for a week, but the document manager wouldn't let me download it! I'm surprised it did now. Sorry so short, haven't had time to write. I've been in and out of the hospital with false labor, my daughter's been sick, I'm trying to get Christmas shopping done AND complete four classes! Needless to say I'm swamped with work! Anyway, keep it in mind that I'm about to have a baby if you're wondering why I am not updating as often as I had been. Thanks to all you readers who review and who are patient with waiting! Cheers!_

Chapter 19: The Madness of an Hour

Amber watched Slade's boat disappear into the horizon before turning back towards the hotel. She didn't understand why she had insisted on waiting until she couldn't see the boat anymore before leaving . . . the others had said their goodbyes at the hotel. She fought the wave of nausea that washed through her body from watching the churning of the waves and put a hand to her stomach . . . where Jay's baby was growing inside her. With a sigh, Amber choked back a sob, wondering when she would find the courage to tell Jay. Trudy, after her initial shock had worn off, insisted that Amber take advantage of the midwives at the hospital. Amber didn't know how she felt about this.

One reason she didn't want to go was that she was afraid the news of her pregnancy would leak out from the midwives to Iris . . . who might tell Jay. And she wasn't ready for him to know, not just yet. Another reason was that she would feel disgusted with herself for going to the hospital when she had been so vocal about disliking the way Genesis Island was run. Amber brushed back an angry tear, wondering why she had been so stupid. Now that she had had time to think about it, the city was very well run. She still didn't agree with some of the laws, but after careful questioning of several of the hotel's servants, she had learned that punishments were rarely meted out.

Amber turned a corner into another street, smiling back at those who nodded their hellos, when suddenly she bumped into someone coming out of a building. "I . . . I'm sorry!" she cried, and immediately began helping to pick up the numerous packages the person had dropped. She had already gathered up several when she noticed the person wasn't helping her. Amber stood up straight and gasped, her hands clutching at the side of the building to steady herself. The man in front of her stared at her with a cold, hard look in his eyes. "Amber," he said dully. Amber swayed in front of him. "My God," she whispered. "Bray."

_At the same time . . ._

Iris sat in front of the fireplace in the hotel's library, sipping a glass of wine and reading a novel. She made it a priority to read something for at least an hour or two a day, since doing so drew her away from her troubles for a while. The servants and the Council knew not to bother her during this time unless it was an emergency; therefore she was surprised to hear someone walk up behind her. She turned to see Trudy, Salene, May, and Ellie standing some distance away.

"What is it?" Iris asked, noting the four looked nervous. Trudy nudged Salene forward. "We were wondering . . . if there was anything we could do?" Salene said quickly. Iris looked puzzled. "What do you mean?" she asked. "We are here in the hotel all day," Trudy put in, "and we are getting a bit bored. We were wondering if there was anything we could do . . . you know, for our keep." Iris raised an eyebrow, a bit taken aback. "I thought you might want to wait a while before you decided what it was you wanted to do," she said slowly. "We know it is the law that you have to work for your keep," May told her. "We just think we may as well start now."

Iris raised an eyebrow. "What is it you think you would like to do?" she asked. "I wouldn't mind working in the daycare," Salene said quickly. "That wouldn't be a problem," Iris answered, "since they always need volunteers." "May has been going with Gray to the warehouses," Ellie said with a sly smile at her friend. "They've been working on designing clothing." May blushed hard and crossed her arms, glaring at Ellie. Iris smiled. "So I take it you'd like working with him?" May shrugged. "I didn't know you liked designing clothes, May," Trudy said with a grin. May shrugged again. "I wanted to be a fashion designer before the virus," she said grumpily. Ellie laughed. "You could always work with Gel on that." May glared at her.

"Speaking of Gel," Iris put in, "she isn't the brightest light bulb in the bunch, is she?" "That is the understatement of the century," Ellie laughed. "I was thinking that she, Sammy, and Lottie could benefit from some schooling," Iris mused, tapping her finger on her chin. "What do you think?" The others nodded in agreement. "You would just have to make sure Lottie isn't stealing the supplies," May said soberly. "The kid's a klepto." Iris nodded. "Then that takes care of them. What about you, Trudy?" Trudy smiled. "I would like to work at the hospital," she said. "I would really like to learn about healing, midwifery especially." "That's wonderful, Trudy!" Iris said excitedly. "It's something I've always wanted to learn, but never had the time to."

"Jack and I would like to do something with technology," Ellie chimed in. "Is there anything we can do?" "We can always use someone with technological skills in the electric plant, or figuring out things that would benefit the city," Iris answered. "If Jack is as technologically advanced as I've heard . . ." "He is," Ellie said quickly. "As much as Ram, in my opinion, and Jack would never use what he knows to hurt anyone." "If that is the case, Ellie, then I would like to ask a favor," Iris said, her eyes glinting. "Would you and Jack mind working alongside Ram while he begins his search for your tribe members?" Ellie looked taken aback, but before she could say anything, Iris began to explain. "I don't trust Ram at all," she said. "I am afraid of what he might do . . . or try to do. No one on Genesis Island can compare to him in technological intelligence . . . except Jack." "So you want us to spy on him?" Ellie asked. Iris nodded. "If you will." Ellie nodded. "I hate the guy, can't stand to be around him, but I'll do it. I'm sure Jack will agree. He won't want to risk leaving Ram to his own creepy devices."

"Thank you, Ellie," Iris said with a sigh of relief. "This is something that has been worrying me." "I have a question," May said briskly. "What about Ebony?" Iris chewed her lip. "I wasn't positive as to what I wanted to do with her," she said slowly, "but I have been thinking about asking Malik to take her into the Troops." "You mean give her weapons?" Ellie asked, appalled. Iris shook her head. "Not at first. I've heard Ebony is a good fighter. She would do well in the Troops. And I trust Malik with my life. He will make sure Ebony is well watched." "It's a good idea," Salene said as Ellie shook her head incredulously. "Fighting is what Ebony does best." "What about Lex and Jay?" Trudy asked, a slight expression of pain crossing her face as she mentioned her former lover's name.

"Neither of them have come to me with requests," Iris said. "But I do know that Malik wants someone to be lieutenant of the palace bodyguards. He has been having trouble choosing someone from the Troops. At first, we discussed Ved, but we think that when his baby is born, he will need to spend more time at home. He is also a little young to command so many. I was thinking of putting Jay forward for the job. He seems . . . right for the job." "He was one of Ram's head generals, along with Ram's wife, Java," Trudy said quietly. "Jay has plenty of experience leading and training men." Iris' eyebrow rose. "Really? Then I will definitely talk to Malik about it. As for Lex . . . I have no idea what he would like to do."


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: My daughter finally decided to make her appearance Dec. 11th. So hopefully I should be able to update more often. Sorry for the delay and thanks for reading!_

Chapter 20: Plans

Bray stared down at Amber with a cold expression she had never seen before. "Bray," Amber whispered, the first shock of excitement at seeing him again washing away instantly. "Amber," Bray said without a hint of happiness or welcome. Amber took a deep breath and forced back tears. She noticed Bray wore the necklace of tiny seashells worn by the Band of Enlightened. "What . . . what are you doing here?" Amber ventured to say. Bray snorted, still staring at her coldly. "Surviving the chaos brought by Ram and the Technos," he snarled. "Surviving what you obviously have embraced."

Amber stared at him. "What . . . what do you mean?" she asked. Bray laughed without a hint of mirth. "You brought Ram here. You're sleeping with one of his men." Amber's eyes widened. "Jay and I . . ." "Are together," Bray finished for her. "I have to go." He turned to leave and Amber grabbed his tunic. "Bray! Please! Don't be like this. I . . . If you have seen me, then you know our child is alive. Don't you want to see him?" Bray turned around quickly and grasped Amber by the shoulders painfully. His face was gray with shock. "What do you mean?" he asked. "No one told me about a son."

"How did you know I was with Jay, but you didn't know about Baby Bray?" Amber asked angrily. Bray released her and stood back, clutching a wall for support. "Our baby . . . it was a boy? He survived?" Amber nodded. "Yes. I named him Bray . . . after his father." Bray wiped his forehead. "Ethan told me the Mallrats were here and that you were with them," he said slowly. "I was so happy. Then he told me that you were with one of the Technos, that you two looked happy. He didn't mention a child." "Bray," Amber said, taking his hands, "Jay has helped us so much. Without him, we couldn't have defeated Ram. He and I are . . . were . . . together. But I don't know if we are anymore. And I haven't told him . . ." She broke off with a sob.

Bray looked at her knowingly. "You are pregnant with his child, aren't you?" Amber raised tear-filled eyes to his. "Yes." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But you aren't together?" Amber turned away to hide her distress, hoping he would touch her, attempt to reassure her. Bray stood behind her with an angry expression on his face and made no move towards her. After several minutes passed, Amber turned around. "Bray, would you like to come with me to see your son?" she asked quietly. He stared at her with hardened eyes. "I will not come to the palace where I will see the Techno," he answered. "Will you bring him to my home? And I would like to see Trudy and Brady. Just you four at first. Don't tell anyone else about me yet." Amber nodded. "I will come. Where do you live?" He shrugged and shouldered his pack. "I'll ask Ethan to bring you after dinner." With that, Bray walked away without another word.

_Later That day . . ._

Iris sat at her desk in the main office of the hotel, going over paperwork when a knock came at the door. "Come in," Iris said with a tired sigh, glad for the interruption. She smiled at Lex as he sauntered in the door and took a seat in front of her. "Just come from Sarai's room?" Iris asked with a sly smile, pointedly staring at the smudge of plum-colored lipstick on his neck. Lex grinned and leaned back. "Maybe." Iris laughed. "I was glad to give her a few days off," she said. "I take it the two of you get along well?" "Well enough," Lex replied smugly. "In other words, you two don't talk much," Iris said with a grin. The two of them laughed.

"I take it you aren't here for a social call?" Iris asked finally. Lex shook his head. "The girls told me they've got jobs, and I have to get one too," he said. "And Sammy, Gel, and the little thief are going to school." Iris nodded. "Yes. That's true." Lex smirked. "Gel's throwing a huge tantrum about going back to school," he told her with a confidential tone. "She says she won't go and you can't make her." Iris laughed. "She's too old for the schools we have here. We have a special tutoring program, like a very small high school, for people like Gel who have just arrived here in Genesis and aren't ready to be placed in a regular job. You can tell her there are cute boys in the program. I'm sure she won't object then."

Lex chuckled. "No, she would be first in line if she knew that," he said. "But what about me? What do you want me to do?" "What would you like to do?" Iris asked. "Sit around and be waited on by beautiful women," Lex replied with a smile. Iris rolled her eyes. "So would most other men here. Now really, what would you like to do?" "I was the sheriff back in the city," Lex said. "We don't need a sheriff, Lex," Iris told him. "But . . ." She smiled. "I know what you can do. Malik needs a lieutenant for the palace bodyguards. He has accepted Jay in that position. However, Jay will need someone he can trust to help him out. Would you be interested?"

Lex sighed. "Jay would be my boss?" Iris nodded. "Yes. If that bothers you, I do need someone to oversee the wagons of food coming into the city. And we can always use more laborers." Lex sat up straighter. "No . . . I can work with Jay." Iris beamed at him. "Great. I'll let Malik know." With a long sigh, Lex stood up. "I'll let you know when you'll begin, Lex," Iris said with a smile. He nodded and left. Iris rang a little bell on her desk and waited for a servant to come in. The boy who entered knelt before the Queen of Genesis and waited for instructions. "Get Malik for me," Iris ordered.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Discussions

Malik stood before his queen with an annoyed look on his face. "So not only do I have to deal with the Techno, I have to deal with Lex?" he asked irritably. "Stop being so grumpy, Malik!" Iris ordered. "I think the two of them are perfect for the job. Jay's talents wouldn't be suitable in any other situation. And he still takes his orders from you. What's the problem?" "You know the problem," Malik growled. "Iris, why are you giving these people positions of power before you even get to know them properly?" Iris sighed. "Who else have I given power to?" she asked. "I chose Jay for this job merely because leading and training troops is his expertise. And I have it from all his tribe members that he is capable, honest, loyal, and highly qualified for the job."

Malik sighed and sank into a chair wearily. "I won't argue that he seems qualified but . . ." "Then stop arguing period, Malik," Iris ordered as she signed a paper with a flourish. "Don't worry so much." "Honestly, Iris, I don't worry so much about Jay and Lex as I do Ebony," he said. Iris looked up from her paperwork. "That's why I want her around you," she told him bluntly. "I need her around someone I can trust completely. Someone I know can't be coerced into any plans she might make. Whom else do I trust more than you, Malik?" "Sometimes I wonder," Malik replied. "Just because we are no longer lovers, Malik, doesn't mean I don't still love and trust you as one of my dearest and best friends," Iris said gently.

"I still want . . ." he began. "I know. But you know I no longer feel the same way," Iris whispered. Malik stood up. "I'll do as you ask. But promise me you'll be careful, Iris." She nodded. Malik bowed to her and strode out the door. Iris sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She was startled as a knock came from the door. "Come in," she said, sighing again and pushing away the remainder of the paperwork. To her surprise, Ram walked into the room. Iris' eyes widened as she noticed he had washed off the Techno symbol on his forehead. "Can I sit?" Ram asked. Iris nodded and motioned towards a chair.

"I am ready to begin the search for the missing Mallrats," Ram began. "I came to ask what resources will be available for my use." Iris folded her hands in her lap and looked up at him. "Whatever resources we have, you are welcome to use. Anything you will need, I am sure I can find somewhere." Ram nodded. "Thank you," he said simply. "Where do I need to go?" "There is a computer room here at the palace," Iris told him. "It contains the best computer equipment we have. I don't think the computers at the power plant will be of much help to you." "It won't have what I'll need," he agreed. "By the way, I want Ellie and Jack helping you," Iris said.

"You mean you want them spying on me," Ram retorted. Iris shrugged. "Call it what you will," she told him airily. "But they will be with you at all times." Ram glared at her. "I don't blame you for not trusting me," he said, clenching his teeth, "but . . ." "But nothing," Iris snapped. "They will be there and that is final." Ram closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Fine. Can someone show me where the room is? I would like to inspect it before I . . . we . . . begin." Iris nodded. "Yes. I will send someone to your room tomorrow morning after breakfast." She stood up and went to the door. Ram followed, and as Iris opened the door he grabbed her forearm. "I have your word I won't be forced to leave once I find the Mallrats?" he asked angrily, his face a mere few inches from hers. Iris gasped as he tightened his painful grip. She stared deep into his dark green eyes, full of worry and anger. All of a sudden she felt dizzy. Iris wrenched away her arm and grasped the door for support. "You have my word, Ram," she said as she tried to catch her breath. He gave her a curt nod and stalked off. Iris watched him go, wondering what was going on.

_At the same time . . . _

Trudy laid Brady in bed and gently covered the child with a blanket. She smiled as she brushed her daughter's blonde hair back from her face. The door to her room opened and Trudy turned quickly to see a white-faced Amber standing in the doorway. "My God Amber, you look terrible!" Trudy cried, rushing over to her. "What happened?" Amber sank to the floor, taking deep breaths of air. "Bray," was all she said. "Bray is here, in the crib," Trudy said, confused. "No, Trudy," Amber said after a long pause. "Bray. Bray is here. In Genesis. I just saw him."

It took Trudy a couple of minutes to understand. "Bray?" she asked, her hands flying to her mouth. "You're sure?" "I talked to him, Trudy," Amber said, covering her face with her hands. "He hates me." Trudy gaped at her. "What do you mean?" Amber brushed tears from her eyes and told Trudy what had happened between her and Bray. "Alive?" Trudy finally said. "He's alive? Oh thank God!" "He wants to see us, Trudy," Amber continued. "Just you, Brady, Baby Bray, and me. He said he would send Ethan to us, to show us where Bray lives." Trudy stared at her, wide-eyed. "I just . . . I just can't believe he's here," she whispered. Amber nodded once before her fragile composure broke and she was sobbing in Trudy's arms.

_Later . . . _

The dinner table was quieter than usual. Iris sat at her usual seat at the head of the table with her ladies seated close to her. Sarai sat next to Lex, feeding him bits of chicken from her own fork. Amber and Trudy seemed very quiet and kept giving each other furtive looks. Ram had chosen to eat in his room, as had Ebony. Salene, May, and Ellie were visiting Ved and Cloe. Jack and Jay sat eating quietly. The only ones deep in conversation were Gel, Lottie, and Sammy, who were discussing the next day, when they would begin their schooling. Those at the table jumped as a messenger burst in the door and knelt before Iris. "My Queen," he said quickly. "I was told to come tell you that Mistress Cloe is in labor. She is at the hospital."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Birth

Iris, Amber, Trudy, Jack, and Jay entered the hospital and walked up to the front desk. "Andre, I was told Cloe is in labor. We would like to see her, if it's all right," Iris said after the young man had greeted her. "Cloe has already given birth," Andre said with a small smile. "Ved and three other girls are with her now." "How is she, and the baby?" Iris asked. "Cloe and one of the babies are doing well," Andre answered, "but the other baby needed special attention." "Twins!" Trudy cried. Andre smiled. "Yes. A boy and a girl. It is the girl who is with the Healers at the moment."

"May we go up?" Amber asked. Andre nodded and gave directions to Cloe's room. Jay hurried up the stairs before all the others, anxious to see his brother. When they got to the room, they saw Cloe in a comfortable bed, being fed a bowl of broth by Salene. She looked tired and worried, but healthy. May and Ellie were helping two female Healers clean up towels and sheets that had been used in the birth. Ved was sitting on a chair, proudly holding his baby son. He looked up as Jay entered and gave him a huge grin. "I'm a dad!" he cried. Jay smiled back and sat next to Ved, motioning towards the bundle in his arms.

"May I?" Jay asked. Ved, still grinning, nodded and placed the little boy in his uncle's arms. The others surrounded Jay and looked down at the baby, who was sleeping peacefully. His little cone shaped head was covered in black hair, and his olive skin still had the red blotches of a newborn. "He's adorable!" Trudy said, touching the baby's little fingers. "What did you name him?" Jack asked. Ved looked over at his wife, who smiled back at him. "We named him Odion," he said. "It means first twin." "What about your daughter?" Iris asked while the others complimented the new parents on the choice of name. "Is she all right?"

Ved looked a bit worried. "The Healers say she will be fine. She just had a little trouble breathing at first." "She is just fine," one of the Healers said, coming into the room holding a little pink bundle. Cloe let out an audible sigh. "Here you go, Mommy," the Healer said, handing the baby to Cloe. Ved hurried over and hugged Cloe and the little girl. "We just had to extract mucus from her throat," the Healer told them. "She should be fine now. And you should feed them both, Cloe." Cloe blushed. "I will," she said quietly. "What is this little beauty's name?" Jay asked, coming close to look at his niece, who looked just like her brother. "Kakra. The youngest twin," Cloe said quietly, smiling down at the little girl.

"They are wonderful babies," Iris said, touching Kakra's cheek. "How does it feel to be an uncle, Jay?" Jay grinned and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It feels great. I can't wait to be a father." Iris saw Amber and Trudy exchange glances, and Amber touched her abdomen in an unconscious gesture that made Iris' eyes widen. _"She's pregnant!"_ Iris thought in wonder. _"And Jay doesn't know!"_ She looked from both Jay to Amber with her mouth open and Amber caught her gaze. Iris stared directly back at Amber with a shocked expression, clearly letting her know that she knew what was going on. Amber stared back, horrified, and the hand on her abdomen dropped to her side.

"All right everyone, visiting time is over," the Healer said. "No disrespect to you, My Queen, but the babies need to be fed and the new mother needs privacy." Iris nodded, her eyes still on Amber. "That isn't a problem," she said, then turned to Cloe and Ved. "Congratulations, you two. As soon as you feel up to it, Cloe, come to the palace and we will start planning the naming ceremony." Cloe smiled and nodded. "Thank you, My Queen," she whispered. Ved murmured his thanks as well, not keeping his eyes off the babies. "I'm going to stay with Cloe and Ved," Salene said. The Healer nodded. "That's just fine, Salene. You've been a wonderful help." The others said their goodbyes and filed out the door.

On the way back to the hotel, Iris lagged behind the others, lost in thought. She was interrupted by Amber, who suddenly appeared beside her. "You know, don't you?" Amber asked accusingly. "I know what?" Iris asked. "That I'm pregnant with Jay's baby," Amber answered in a whisper. "I guessed," Iris said, raising an eyebrow. "And you can drop the bitchy tone, Amber. If you think I am going to tell Jay, I'm not. That is for you to do. Although I'm surprised that you haven't already." Amber turned red with anger. "I have my reasons," she said slowly. Iris shrugged. "I want to congratulate you, but I don't think you're too happy that you're pregnant. Therefore I'll merely wish you all the best."

Amber's face screwed up as if she was going to cry. "It's not that I don't want this baby . . ." she began. "I am not asking you to give me your reasons," Iris interrupted. "It's none of my business." She glanced over at Amber and sighed. "Don't worry so much," she told her gently. "Everything will turn out all right in the end." Amber swallowed. "I apologize for snapping at you," she said. "I'm just going through a rough time right now." Iris nodded. "I understand. You don't have to explain. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. The midwives like pregnant women to begin coming in as soon as they know they're pregnant. They like to see their patients twice a month at the very least. And they will be discreet. Talking to people about other's health care is a punishable offence here in Genesis."

"Thank you," Amber said softly. "For your offer of help . . . and not telling Jay. I will tell him, just not yet." "You're welcome, Amber," Iris told her with a smile. "You have no reason to worry. Anyway, it's not good for the baby." They followed the others into the front hall of the palace. "I'll see you at dinner," Iris said, giving Amber a friendly nod. Amber smiled back. Iris said her goodbyes to the others and walked up to her room. She sat on the bed, kicking off her boots. "At least now I know why Amber has been so crabby," she said to herself.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: New Lives

"I don't want to go!" Gel shouted, throwing her hairbrush on her dresser. "It doesn't matter what you want, Gel," Trudy said gently. "What matters is that you wanted to stay here, and therefore you have to live by the city's rules." "It's not fair!" Gel pouted, picking up the hairbrush again and brushing her blonde curls vigorously. "Don't you want to better yourself, Gel?" May asked in an amused tone as she pushed several sketches of outfits into a portfolio. "I can better myself just fine without going to _tutoring_ with Sammy and that little thief," Gel snorted. Trudy and May exchanged smiles. "Well, I need to go," May said, putting her portfolio into a backpack and shouldering it. "I don't want to keep Gray waiting."

"At least you're working with your _boyfriend_," Gel said with a smirk. "He's not my boyfriend," May said, turning red. Trudy smiled and patted May on the arm. "Sure he isn't." "Trudy!" May cried in protest. Trudy grinned and pushed her friend out of the door. "Go, before you're late." May, still red and now looking extremely irritated, stalked away. "I _knew_ he was her boyfriend," Gel said smugly. "Shut up, Gel," Trudy told her. "It's time for you to go. Come on, I'll walk with you." "Where are you and Amber going today?" Gel asked as she took another look in the mirror. "That's none of your business," Trudy said, picking up Brady. "Go bye-bye?" Brady asked her mother. "Yes, sweetie, we're going bye-bye, and Gel is going to school," Trudy answered.

Gel rolled her eyes and followed Trudy out the door and down to the first level of the hotel. They met Lottie and Sammy in a large room that had been converted into a library. Seven young men and two young women were already seated at tables in the room, chatting animatedly. Gel's mouth curved into a huge smile as she surveyed the room. "Going fishing, Gel?" Trudy asked with a smile. "Eeew!" Gel cried. "I would never _touch_ a fish!" Trudy opened her mouth to explain, but changed her mind and shook her head, rolling her eyes at the ceiling. "These must be my new ones," a voice said behind them.

Trudy, Gel, Lottie, and Sammy turned to see a man smiling at them. He was of medium height, with brown eyes and short brown dreadlocks. "I'm Tate, the tutor." "Nice to meet you," Trudy said, shaking his hand. "What'll you teach them today?" Tate smiled. "Today we'll learn about history and I'll find out where everyone's at in math." "Math?" Gel asked, horrified. "Math," Tate laughed. "Good luck," Trudy said, grinning at Gel's disgusted expression. "You'll need it," she whispered in an undertone to Tate. Trudy left the library and walked towards the parlor where she met Amber, who was holding Baby Bray tightly in her arms.

"You look terrible," Trudy said, looking at Amber's pale skin and the dark circles under her eyes. "I couldn't sleep," Amber explained in a hoarse tone. Trudy nodded in sympathy. "Everything will be all right," she told her. "Don't worry." "Ladies," a voice said from behind them. Ethan walked up and laid a hand on Amber's shoulder. "You are troubled, Amber. If you ever need to talk, don't hesitate to come to me." Amber shook away from his touch. "Just take us to Bray." Ethan nodded and walked out. He led them through the city to a small blue house overlooking the ocean. It was the very last house in the city, by the road leading out to the farms.

Ethan stopped in the gravel walkway that led up to the porch. "He is inside," he said. "I will come back for you this evening." Amber and Trudy watched Ethan as he walked back into the city, his purple robes billowing behind him. "Are you ready?" Trudy asked Amber. "As ready as I'll ever be," Amber replied. The two of them walked up to the door. Amber reached up and knocked tentatively. Bray opened the door slowly. "Bray!" Trudy cried, throwing herself at him. Bray smiled with genuine happiness. "Trudy, how have you been?" he asked, pulling her and Brady into his arms. "I'm fine," Trudy said, wiping away tears. "Brady, do you remember Uncle Bray?" Brady smiled up at Bray shyly as he lifted her up into a hug.

Bray opened the door wider to allow them all inside. His eyes met Ambers for a fleeting second before he looked down in her arms to see Baby Bray's face peeping out of his sling. "Is that . . ." Bray began, his voice breaking with emotion. Amber nodded and took her son out of the sling. "This is Bray," she whispered, handing him over to his father. Bray's face turned gray as he held his son for the first time. "Bray . . ." he said quietly, touching the little boy's face gently with his forefinger. "Isn't he the image of his father?" Trudy asked, trying to break the ice. Bray looked up at her, an expression of wonderment on his face. "The very image," Amber agreed softly. Bray smiled as the baby grasped his finger. "He's beautiful," he said.

The three of them turned around as an infant's cry sounded from the other room. Amber and Trudy looked at Bray with questioning expressions. Bray's face grew grim. "Why don't we come in the living room and sit down?" he asked, handing Baby Bray back to his mother. Amber and Trudy exchanged glances as they followed Bray into the living room. "Go ahead and sit," Bray said as he walked into a back room. Trudy and Amber did what he asked. A few minutes later, Bray came back, holding a tiny bundle in his arms. "This is Skye," he said, moving the blanket aside to reveal a two month old baby. "You . . . you have a daughter?" Amber asked, extremely confused. Bray took a deep, shuddering breath and sank into an armchair. "I am her guardian," he said slowly. "But I am not her father, even though I've treated her as if she was my own." His eyes closed for a few moments. When he opened them again, there were tears in his eyes. "Lex is her father. This is Taisan's baby."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Bray's Story

_A/N: Lex never saw Taisan after defeating Ram. She was never a Techno._

There was nothing either Trudy or Amber could say. They stared at Bray, speechless with shock. "Don't get your hopes up," Bray said in a deadened tone. "Taisan is dead." Trudy gasped, her hands flying to her face as she began to sob. Amber stared at Bray, her face pale. "H . . . How?" she stammered, a tear rolling down her cheek. Bray leaned back in his chair, holding Skye to him tightly. "Shall I start from the beginning, or do you just want to know how she died?" he asked, glaring at Amber. Trudy's eyes emerged from behind her hands. "I want to know what happened to all of the Mallrats," she said, trying to stifle her sobs. Bray took a deep breath and nodded. "Maybe then Amber would understand why bringing . . ." He sighed.

"I don't remember much about how I ended up in a truck," Bray began. "I see men in black clothes and silver masks coming at me, and then I woke up in pain. I could barely move. The girl whose lap I was lying in told me I had been beaten up by the Technos. I passed out again, because when I woke up, I was in some sort of camp. I was lying in the dirt. There were about twenty other kids there at first, in a holding area surrounded by an eight foot chain link fence that had been reinforced with barbed wire. Technos were bringing in more and more kids every hour. I was there for three days before I was able to walk. Two days later, I was chained to ten others and we were put in a plane.

"We were on the plane for about two or three hours. When we got off . . ." Bray broke off, his face turning red with rage. "When we got off," he began again, "the Technos pulled the two female prisoners out of the chains and threw them on the ground. They raped them, right there in front of us." His jaw tightened. "We tried to help them, but we were forced to our knees and beaten." "Was Taisan . . . one of the girls?" Trudy ventured to ask. Bray shook his head. "No." He stared down at Skye for a few moments before continuing. "The eleven of us were taken into a compound. The girls were taken away, while the rest of us were placed in a holding cell. I am not sure how long we were there. There were no windows or lights. The room was small, dark, and damp. There were fourteen others in the room, many with bloody and festering wounds.

"Our only food was some sort of gruel, which we got once a day, if at all. The Technos placed a bucket filled with the gruel into the room and we were forced to eat with our hands. Many times, fights broke out over how much each of us got." Bray looked up at the ceiling as he remembered what had happened to him. "Our toilet was a ditch we had dug into the floor. I wasn't surprised when all of us got sick. We had diarrhea and vomited constantly. That only made us worse, since we could not wash ourselves or get rid of the waste and it accumulated. After a while, the waste covered the entire floor. Six of the men in the room died over time. Their bodies were not . . . were not immediately removed. It seemed like an eternity before the Technos took us out of that room.

"I was taken to a truck and thrown in. There were at least twenty others packed in, all unwashed and ill. I was so happy to find out that Taisan was there. She was as smelly and sick as I was, but I swear to God, I have never been so happy to see someone in my life. All we could do was huddle next to each other, we were too sick to talk. The Technos stopped at a river and allowed us all to wash, it wasn't until we did that Taisan and I were able to talk to each other. She and Alice had been taken on their way back to the mall. The Technos had surrounded them and tied them up before throwing them into a truck. They hadn't been subjected to a small cell, but had been in a holding camp the whole time. It was there they were separated. Alice was taken away after only two days. Taisan was there for three weeks.

"Taisan told me she was pregnant with Lex's baby when we were in the truck again. She said she hadn't yet told Lex, and was planning on telling him the day she was taken. It . . . it helped my own pain of losing you and the baby, Amber, to talk to her about her own loss. It was the first time I have ever seen Taisan cry. She considered aborting the baby so it would not be born a slave." Bray stared hard at Amber. "The Technos would not allow her to find the herbs she would need for the abortion. Instead, they raped her. Repeatedly. One Techno in particular, the head general of the compound we had been taken to, raped her daily until he was sent to another compound. Taisan never complained or cried once. Not once. The only thing she ever said about what was happening was that everything happens for a reason.

"At the compound, we were forced to work. We dug holes to bury the kids in who died from malnutrition or sickness or who were murdered by the Technos. We built new holding cells and repaired parts of the compound. When we weren't doing that, the Technos used us in their experiments." Bray grew silent and stared down at his hands. "What experiments?" Amber asked. "I don't want to talk about that," Bray answered, his eyes taking on an almost maniacal gleam. Trudy and Amber exchanged horrified glances. They both knew that of all the things that had happened to Bray, the experiments had to be the worst. If he could talk about all the other atrocities that had been committed, but not the experiments, they had to be worse than hell. Bray waited for several minutes to compose himself before beginning again.

"The Technos also thought it would be amusing to make us fight each other. Every night, two kids were chosen to fight for _entertainment purposes_. They had to fight to the death. And the winner would have to bury the loser. Another of their _entertainments_ was to force some of the boys to rape the girls the Technos deemed too ugly to rape themselves. This went on for months. Thankfully, once Taisan began to show her pregnancy, the Technos lost interest in raping her. They didn't make others rape her, either. She still had to work as hard as the rest of us, though. I tried to do more of the work so she could rest, but the Technos would beat me if I did. I didn't care, but Taisan insisted on working so I would escape punishment."

"Did you ever see anyone we know?" Trudy asked. Bray nodded. "I saw KC. We never got to talk as he was only there for a day before he was transferred." Bray cleared his throat. "When Taisan was eight months pregnant, she got very sick. She was unable to work, so the Technos decided to give her to the slave traders. She begged them to let her stay with me. They ignored her and she was sold anyway. I felt like I was responsible for her. So . . . I faked sickness. I pretended to be almost dead. The Technos did exactly what I wanted them to. They had the others take me out to the site where we buried the dead and gave orders to bury me alive. Thankfully, the other prisoners didn't bury me too deeply. I think they knew what I was trying to do."

"You were buried alive?" Amber asked, horrified. Bray shrugged. "It was the only way I could get out. Anyway, I followed the trail of the slavers. It wasn't long before they caught me. My luck seemed to be changing because I was placed in the same cage as Taisan. I was there for one night when the delegation came from Genesis." His eyes took on a relieved look. "Alistair, the leader of the delegation, saw Taisan lying on the floor of that cage, with me holding her hand, and told the slavers he wanted to buy us. At first, I was afraid he would be as terrible as the Technos. You would never imagine my surprise when Alistair told me his Queen bought slaves to free them. He asked if I wanted to be let go there or if I wanted to be taken to Genesis. I insisted on being allowed to leave then, but Alistair told me there were healers on Genesis. For Taisan's sake, I came here to Genesis.

"The healers could do nothing for her. She was too sick. Taisan surprised all of us when she survived Skye's birth." Bray looked down at the child in his arms. "She asked me to care for Skye as if she were my very own. I promised her I would." His voice cracked with emotion. "She died two days before you landed." Trudy broke into fresh sobs as she got up to embrace Bray and the baby. She picked Taisan's daughter up gently in her arms and rocked the baby back and forth. "Poor little girl," she whispered. "Will you tell Lex?" Bray gave her a shocked look. "Of course I will," he told her. "I was . . . just waiting for the right time. I couldn't face everyone yet." His gaze landed on Amber. "Where is Taisan buried?" Trudy asked. "Out back," Bray said. "I buried her myself."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Confessions

Iris sighed and rested her chin on her hand as she looked outside her bedroom window. She had confined herself to her room for the day as she felt a cold coming on and she didn't want the others to catch it. Sarai came in and handed Iris a blue mug. "I can't believe I allow myself to drink this disgusting crap," Iris grumbled. Sarai laughed. "It will make you better, my Queen," she said. Iris sighed and downed the contents, making a face. "This is actually better than the last one," she said. "This isn't whiskey, that's probably why," Sarai told her. "This one has tequila, chamomile, and honey." "Tell Martha to make this from now on," Iris ordered. Sarai nodded and took the mug back. "Martha says you need to take a hot shower with the eucalyptus oil and you should eat chicken soup for dinner," she told her mistress.

"That's fine," Iris replied, getting back into her bed. "Could you please bring me a book?" Sarai nodded. "Of course." She opened the door just as Ethan raised his hand to knock. Sarai looked startled for a moment, then gave him a curt nod and passed on. Ethan smiled in amusement and strode into the room. "My Queen," he said, bowing. Iris nodded at him in reply. "You're going to get sick if you stay in here," she warned. "I have news for you," he said teasingly, "but I can't tell you what it is if I leave." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Just tell me," she said. "A member of my tribe was a Mallrat," Ethan told her, crossing his arms.

Iris sat up quickly. "What?" "Bray. Do you remember him? He came here with the sick, pregnant girl, Taisan," Ethan reminded her. "He said he didn't have a tribe!" Iris said. Ethan nodded. "Yes. But he was not being truthful. It seems that the Mallrats have made more enemies than just the Technos." "Bray . . . that sounds familiar," Iris said quietly, her brows furrowing. "Baby Bray, Amber's son, is his child," Ethan told her. Iris' eyes widened. "My God!" she cried. "Are you sure?" "Yes," Ethan assured her. "Amber, Trudy, and their children are with him now. Brady is also related to Bray. She is his niece." "These Mallrats are very interrelated, aren't they?" Iris asked, still processing the information she had just learned.

"There's more," Ethan said smugly. "What now?" Iris cried. "Lex was the father of Taisan's baby. He never knew she was pregnant." Iris fell back onto her pillows. "More and more drama," she said glumly. "The Mallrats should have been a soap opera. They would have made millions." Ethan turned a chuckle into a cough. "They certainly are interesting," he said. "Why are you telling me this now?" Iris asked. "Because I am willing to bet that Trudy and Amber will tell Lex about his daughter the moment they return," said Ethan. Iris covered her face with her blankets. "Good. Then I can use the sick excuse to keep the explosion away for a while," she said. Ethan smiled at his queen's uncharacteristic behavior. "Yes," he told her. "I must go fetch Trudy and Amber now, my Queen. Feel better soon." He dodged a pillow as he exited the room.

Later . . .

Trudy, Brady, Amber, and Baby Bray entered the palace through a side door, not wanting to chance seeing any of the others. They hurried upstairs and went into Amber's room, shutting the door firmly behind them. After they put their children down for a nap, they sat down to discuss what had happened.

"What are we going to do?" Trudy asked after a long moment had passed. Amber laid her head down on the table. "I have to tell Jay about the baby," she said soberly. Trudy stared at her for a minute with wide eyes. "That . . . that wasn't what I meant, but . . ." Amber let out a funny little laugh and looked up with tears in her eyes. "I need to fix things, Trudy," she said. "I need to fix everything. Starting with Jay." Trudy looked at her friend sympathetically. "Then you want to be with Jay?" she asked. Amber took a deep breath. "I'm not sure what I want, Tru. All I know is that I need to tell Jay about his baby. From there . . . who knows." Trudy sighed a little and folded her hands in her lap. "Amber, before we left Bray's house, he asked me a question."

"What?" Amber asked, looking at her in alarm. "He asked me to move in with him," Trudy answered quietly. Amber blinked back tears. "Why?" Trudy examined her fingernails before answering. "He needs help with Skye. And he . . . and I . . . think it will be good for Brady to have him around for a while." "What about his own son?" Amber cried. "What about Baby Bray? He needs to be around his father. I could help with Skye!" Trudy stood up slowly. "Not everything is about you, Amber," she said. "Bray needs help. He can't take care of a baby and his other responsibilities as well. And he doesn't want you there, not yet. He's not ready. And for God's sake, Amber, you're carrying another man's child! A man that you are still technically in a relationship with!"

Amber slumped in her chair. "You're right, Trudy. I'm sorry." She wiped away tears from her eyes. "I can't be with Bray. Not now. I still don't know how I feel about him . . . or Jay for that matter." Trudy looked as if she wanted to say something, but she pressed her lips together instead and sat back down. "That's good you're going to help him," Amber continued. "And you're right. It will be good for Brady to be around her uncle." "Thank you, Amber," Trudy said, smiling faintly. "The question is now, when do we tell Lex about his daughter?" "It's not something we can wait to do," Amber said. "How about right now?"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Explosions

Lex leaned back in his chair as a scantily clad Sarai straddled him, a sexy smile on her face. He grinned up at her as she traced a red fingernail along his chest. As she moved to kiss him, a knock sounded at the door. "Go away," Lex shouted, smirking up at Sarai. "Please get it," she whispered. "The Queen might need me." Lex grumbled but got up anyway and opened the door to see Amber and Trudy there. "What?" he asked irritably. "We need to talk to you," Trudy said, raising an eyebrow at Sarai. "Later," Lex said, trying to shut the door. Amber groaned and stuck her foot in the doorway. "Lex, this is very important," she said. Lex started to argue, but Sarai put a restraining hand on his back. "It's okay," she told him. "I should go check on the Queen anyway."

Lex sighed heavily and walked back to his chair, throwing himself down into it lazily. Sarai pulled her dress over her head and gave him a quick kiss before she left. Amber closed the door behind her before she and Trudy took seats opposite Lex. "Well?" he asked. "What the hell do you want?" Amber restrained herself from retorting. Trudy drew in a breath. "Lex," she began, "we have something to tell you. We found Bray." Lex rolled his eyes. "I didn't know he was missing," he said. "For God's sake, Lex!" Amber cried. "We don't mean Baby Bray!" Lex looked from one girl to the other with a confused expression for several seconds before he understood.

"Where is he?" Lex asked, jumping out of the chair. "He lives in the city," Trudy told him. "But that's not . . ." Lex was already putting on his pants. "Lex!" Amber said sternly. "Sit down!" "Why?" he asked. "I want to see Bray. Does he know where Taisan is?" Amber and Trudy exchanged sad looks that weren't lost on Lex. "What?" he shouted. "What is it?" He grabbed Trudy's shoulders. "Where is she?" "Sit down and we'll tell you what's going on!" Amber ordered, shoving him down into the chair. "Lex," Trudy began again, her eyes filling with tears, "I'm sorry to tell you that Taisan . . ." She began to cry, covering her face with her hands. Lex looked from Trudy to Amber with a disbelieving expression.

"What is it?" he asked angrily. "Did she find someone else?" "She is dead, Lex," Amber said quietly. Lex shook his head. "Whatever. That's ridiculous." Amber glanced pleadingly over at Trudy. "Bray and Taisan came here to Genesis together, the same way Ved and Cloe did. They were bought from the slave traders," Trudy whispered. "Lex, Taisan died just before we got here. Bray buried her himself." Lex, his face white, shook his head again. "No," he croaked. "It's not true." "Before she died, Lex, Taisan . . . Taisan had a baby," Amber said. "Your baby. Her name is Skye. She's living with Bray." Lex stared at Amber for so long she thought he had taken leave of his senses. "Lex?" Trudy asked hesitantly, reaching out for him.

He shuddered and pulled away. "That's bullshit," he shouted as he leapt out of his chair. "_Bullshit!_ 'San wasn't pregnant before she got taken. If she's with someone else, just tell me!" "Lex!" Trudy shouted back. "Why on earth would we make this up?" She stood up and threw her arms around him. "She's dead, Lex. We saw her grave. We saw your daughter!" Lex shoved her away. "This isn't true," he cried. "It can't be true." "Bray will come here tomorrow," Trudy said quietly. "He will bring Skye with him. He can tell you everything." "If there's anything to be said, I want to hear it now," Lex retorted. "Then you need to calm down and sit," Amber told him. He glared at her, but did as he was told. Amber then told him all that Bray had told her about his and Taisan's capture, their imprisonment, and their escape. She told him of Taisan's failing health, the birth of Skye, and Taisan's death, as quickly as she could before she broke into sobs.

Lex sat in the chair stiffly, gripping the arms until his knuckles turned white. He listened to everything Amber told him with a white face. When she finished, he remained still. "Lex?" Trudy asked after several minutes had passed. He continued to stare straight ahead. After some time had passed, he stood up and picked up his shirt. "Where is Bray's house?" he asked. "I can take you," Trudy said, standing up. "I remember the way." Lex nodded curtly and pulled his boots on. "I'll see you later, Amber," Trudy whispered as she followed Lex out the door. Amber wiped away her tears, trying to compose herself. "Well, Lex knows about his baby," she said to herself. "It's time for Jay to know about his."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Jay and Amber

Amber stood in the doorway to the room once given to herself and Jay. A single tear trickled down her cheek as she remembered they had never even slept together there once. "The problems began the moment we arrived," she whispered, staring at the crib where her son slept peacefully. "Did you still need me to keep an eye on Bray?" Salene asked as she came down the hallway behind Amber. Amber nodded, smiling faintly at her friend. "Yes, please Sal. There's something I need to take care of." Salene smiled back. "Where's Trudy?" she asked. "She and Brady stayed overnight in the city with a friend," Amber answered. "Lex is with them."

Salene looked confused but didn't ask anything else. "May stayed in the city as well," she said. "With Gray." Amber smiled. "So they're a couple?" Salene laughed. "It depends on who you ask. If you ask anyone but May . . . yes, they are." She motioned towards Baby Bray. "Did he just go to sleep?" she asked. Amber nodded. "Yes. He should be out for a while. He's just had his breakfast." Salene walked over and patted Bray's little bottom. "He's so cute," she smiled. "Mallrats have such cute babies. Brady's adorable, and so are Cloe's two." "How's Cloe doing?" Amber asked, feeling guilty that she hadn't spent much time with the girl. "She and the babies are doing wonderfully," Salene answered. "So is Ved. They're planning the naming ceremony for the babies. Ved's so swelled with pride that I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly burst." Amber laughed. "I never would have thought it of him," she said musingly. "He must really love Cloe to go from asshole to doting husband and father." Salene nodded.

"I believe he fell in love with Cloe after she played that prank on him so long ago."

"I remember that," Amber laughed. "Didn't she drug him or something, and dress him up in a diaper in front of everyone in that casino?" Salene chuckled. "Something like that. She and Dee planned the whole thing out." The two women sighed as they thought of another friend lost. "Well, I had better go," Amber said finally, leaning down to kiss Baby Bray on the top of the head. Salene nodded as she sat in a chair, picking up a book.

"Take as long as you need," she told Amber.

Minutes later, Amber was standing in front of Jay's door. She composed herself for several minutes before knocking. Jay opened the door, looking surprised when he saw who was standing there. "Amber?" "May I come in?" Amber asked, trying to put on a cheerful face. Jay hesitated for a moment before moving aside to let her in. "Do you want to sit?" he asked after he closed the door. Amber nodded and sank down into a chair. "There's something I need to tell you," she said. Jay sat down on his bed, opposite Amber. "What is it?" he asked politely. Amber took a deep breath. "Jay . . . I'm pregnant."

Moments passed, and still Jay sat there, staring at Amber with a white face. "Jay?" Amber asked finally. He blinked. "You're . . . you're pregnant?" he asked. She nodded. "Yes." "Why are you telling me this now?" Jay asked. "We haven't slept together for a month. When did you know?" Amber looked down at her hands. "I suspected . . . while we were in the boat." "But you didn't say anything," Jay said accusingly. She shook her head. "No. I wanted to be sure. Then everything that has happened . . ." "How far along do you think you are?" Jay interrupted. "Three months, at least," Amber said quietly. He nodded and stood up, going to look out of the window.

"What do you want to happen?" he asked after a long silence. "I don't know," Amber said truthfully. "I just thought you should know about the baby." Jay laughed coldly. "You just thought I should know . . ." he repeated. "Your priorities are rather mixed up, aren't they?" Amber looked confused. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Nothing," Jay answered, turning to face her. "Amber, I will be part of this baby's life, but I no longer want . . ." "A relationship with me," Amber finished. "I think we have different ideas about many things," Jay said. "Way too many things." Amber nodded, remembering the argument they had when they first arrived in Genesis. "Who else knows?" Jay asked.

"Trudy, Iris, and Bray," Amber answered. Her eyes widened and she clapped her hand to her mouth. "Bray?" Jay asked. "He's too little to understand." Amber hesitated for a moment before deciding to come completely clean. "I'm not talking about Baby Bray," she said quietly. Jay looked shocked. "You mean . . ." "Yes," Amber nodded. "Bray is here in Genesis. But only you, Trudy, and Lex know. Bray will tell the others when he is ready." Jay snorted. "So is this why you . . ." Amber gasped. "No!" she cried. "I'm telling you about this baby because you should know, not because of Bray." Jay began to laugh. "Congratulations, Amber," he said derisively. "I'm glad for you."

Amber glared at him. "How dare you!" she cried. "Bray doesn't even _like_ me right now because of you!" Jay glared back. "Because of me? What the hell do you mean?" "He told me everything that happened to him and the others when they were taken by the Technos!" Amber shouted. "You . . . you and your _sadistic tribe_!" "I'm not a Techno any longer!" Jay shouted back. "You're still dressed like one!" Amber told him. "You still paint on that ridiculous T every morning! What is that saying to everyone, Jay?" Jay's eyes narrowed. "I . . . I . . ." Amber laughed. "You can't even come up with an excuse for yourself, can you?" she asked.

"What I do is no longer your business," Jay snarled. Amber nodded. "That's fine." She walked over to the door and put her hand on the doorknob. "I came to tell you about your baby. Now you know." "It's too bad you won't be able to convince Bray it's _his_ baby, isn't it?" Jay asked, staring hard at her. Amber froze for a moment before striding over to Jay and slapping him hard in the face. "How dare you!" she cried. "How could you think I could be so . . . so . . . so like Ebony?" "You're ridiculous," Jay snapped, touching the bright red mark on his cheek gingerly. "No, you are," Amber shouted. "You . . ." She was interrupted by someone knocking loudly at the door. A servant stuck his head in the room. "Jay, the Queen would like to see you," he said before slipping away as quickly as he came.

"I have to go," Jay said, sitting down to pull on his boots. "Of course," Amber replied, angrily wiping tears from her face. "If Iris calls, you run." Jay stood up and went to the door. "I admire Iris," he said. "She is a wonderful woman." "Then why don't you go be with her?" Amber asked angrily. Jay looked back over his shoulder. "I love her," he said quietly. "She is the perfect woman. If I can convince her to be with me, I will." Amber stared at him as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. "Who will be next?" she asked. "Ellie? May? What about Gel, or one of those stupid girls who is always hanging around Iris?" "What do you mean?" Jay asked, his eyes glinting dangerously. "You've had Ebony and Trudy and me," Amber snapped. "You've still got a few more hearts to break." Jay's lips pressed tightly together. Without another word, he turned and left.


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: Sorry this took so long to post. It's been a rough few weeks. Anyway, I hope the new format is easier to read. Please tell me if you don't like it and I'll return to the way I wrote before. If you do like it, I will continue to write this way, and I will change the previous chapters to match. _

Chapter 28: Jay and Iris

Iris sighed a little as she looked in the mirror of her bathroom, watching Sarai comb the tangles out of her hair. She felt much better after having a good night's sleep and eating several bowls of broth. The two days she had taken to recuperate from her cold had gone by all too quickly. She hardly ever took days off from her duties, and although she was looking forward to getting back to her routine, she wasn't too happy to have to face the aftermath of the Mallrats' problems. She had decided to ignore them until they were presented to her and instead focused her attentions to getting the Mallrats started on the jobs they had chosen. It was one of the reasons she had summoned Jay.

Malik and Iris had discussed the security of the palace in detail. Malik had finally come to terms with the fact that Jay would be in charge of palace security when Iris finally told him one of the major reasons why she wanted Jay in that position. She felt that the biggest threat to her security would either be Ram or Ebony, and Jay knew them both well enough to be able to anticipate any attempts to take over. Iris also knew that neither Ram nor Ebony would be able to convince Jay to participate in anything they might try. Malik saw the wisdom in this and finally agreed. However, as often occurs with those who are in love, Malik could sense Jay's feelings for Iris and told her so. Knowing Malik's penchant for violence towards those he felt were rivals, Iris insisted that Jay get his orders from her instead of Malik as she had first decided.

It was for this reason Iris had summoned Jay.

Sarai put the finishing touches to her mistress's hair and followed Iris into her receiving room. She arranged Iris' skirts attractively around the chair, finishing just as a knock came at the door. Jay was ushered in by a chambermaid, who followed Sarai out the door, leaving Iris and Jay alone.

"You asked for me?" Jay asked.

Iris nodded and motioned towards an armchair. "Yes. Please sit. There are things I want to discuss with you," she said. She looked at him with concern, noting the redness in his cheeks and the angry look in his eye. "Is anything wrong?"

Jay leaned back in the chair. "It's not something I want to talk about right now, if that's all right," he said.

Iris shrugged slightly, inwardly cringing at the thought of the conflict that seemed such a part of the Mallrat's lifestyle. "I asked for you because I wanted to discuss your duties," she said.

Jay looked interested and nodded. "Yes. When do you want me to start?"

"Whenever you like. I wanted to give you these," Iris began, handing him a packet of papers and a large, rolled up map.

"What are these?"

"The roll is a map of the hotel, both the building and the grounds," Iris told him. "The other papers are a register of the palace guards, their names and information, what skills they know and what their duties are . . . things like that. There are also documents of any incidents that have occurred here in the past two years, those will be boring because not much _has_ happened. In addition, I got Malik to give me his notes on the plans he had for improving things around here, as well as personal notes pertaining to the hotel and the people who work here."

Jay nodded as he glanced through the papers. "These will come in handy," he said slowly. "What about you? Is there anything you want me to do?"

Iris shook her head. "I trust your judgment," she said, folding her hands in her lap. "I only ask that you do your best."

"How much authority will I have?"

"You will take orders from and report only to me," Iris answered. "And I want you to have full reign concerning the safety of the palace and its inmates."

"I will do everything I can," Jay answered. His face softened a bit. "Iris . . . I would do anything to protect you."

She stared at him uncomfortably. "I thank you."

He stood up and came over to her, falling to his knees and putting his hands on hers. "Iris . . . I want to tell you that from the moment I met you, I had strong feelings towards you. Now, I know I am in love with you."

"Jay . . ."

"Please, let me finish. I know you think I'm some kind of . . . of man whore, but . . ." He broke off as Iris began to giggle.

"Man whore?" she asked, choking on her laughter.

Jay's face turned bright red. "It's not funny . . ."

"Sorry, it's just . . ." She was cut off by his mouth pressing hard against hers. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Jay!" she cried as she pushed him back.

"I apologize, Iris, I shouldn't have . . ."

"You're right. Jay, you shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry, but I have no intention of causing more conflict between you and your tribe than is already there."

"Amber and I are no longer together," he told her quietly. "We settled that just this morning."

"It's not just Amber, it's more than that," Iris said. "I don't feel that way towards you, Jay."

"Give me the chance to change your mind." Without waiting for an answer, he leaned over and kissed her again.

To her surprise, Iris opened her mouth and allowed him to kiss her. It wasn't so much that she felt something for him, it was the fact that she hadn't been kissed in that way by anyone for almost a year. Her body responded to his touch, even if her heart did not. Jay pulled her up and held her close to him as his kiss intensified. Iris felt as if she were melting in a puddle of desire. Encouraged, Jay's arms came around her and fumbled with the lacings on her dress. Iris panted as his lips trailed down her neck, feeling like fire down her throat. She gasped as his teeth grazed her throbbing artery.

"Jay . . ." she whispered.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29:

Iris' eyelashes fluttered, her eyes opened, and she woke up to find herself staring straight at Jay. Stifling a gasp, Iris bit her lips together, not wanting to wake him up. She slipped out of the bed and tiptoed into the bathroom, wincing at the pain in her legs and groin from her exploits the night before. Staring at herself in the mirror, she let out a deep sigh of regret.

Not that it hadn't been fun.

In fact, it had been wonderful. Iris had had several lovers in her lifetime, and Jay's expertise surpassed even Malik. She blushed at the memory of his mouth and fingers . . . and other things. But the fact remained that she had made things between them more complicated. Not to mention what would happen if the rest of the Mallrats, as well as her own Council . . . especially Malik . . . found out. She shook her head at her stupidity as she put toothpaste on her toothbrush.

After she had bathed and dressed, Iris called a maid and ordered breakfast, still undecided on how to best handle the situation she had created. Jay was still asleep when she reentered the bedroom, so she went out onto her balcony to stare out at the hotel's gardens. She hadn't been out there very long when she felt a presence behind her, then arms wrapping around her waist.

"Jay . . ." Iris whispered.

"My love . . ." Jay whispered back, biting her earlobe.

"We need to talk," Iris said firmly, willing herself to resist the pleasure his ministrations were giving her.

"About what?" Jay asked, his tone hurt. He stood back from her, wrapping his muscular arms around his body against the chill of the morning.

"Us. Jay," Iris began, taking his hands. "What happened last night meant nothing to me. It was just fun. We can't be together, and I don't want to give you the wrong idea."

His jaw clenched and his eyes widened in pain. "You don't want me?"

Iris dropped his hands and shook her head. "I don't want you to be hurt."

He scrutinized her for a long moment. "Then why did you do it?"

Iris closed her eyes and turned away. "I am not sure. I think . . . I think it was because, it has been so long . . . so long since anyone has held me like that. And I do like you, quite a lot. Maybe under different circumstances . . ."

"What do you mean?"

"There's too much going on right now, Jay. You and Amber just broke up. She's having your baby for God's sake! You've just arrived here, I don't even know you that well. To tell you the truth, what I do know scares me!" She turned back to face him. "I don't want to end up having feelings for someone that may end up deciding later on that he wants someone else! You've done it to three girls in this very hotel! Girls I happen to like . . . well, at least I know I like Trudy. Amber . . . maybe. Ebony . . . not so much."

"That's what you're afraid of?" Jay asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.

She shook her head. "Not afraid. Not really. But there are other things. You have to understand, I am Queen of Genesis. I have a duty to my people. I have to place them over myself and whatever I feel."

"What do you mean?" he asked, his tone concerned.

Iris opened her mouth to speak, but the maid came in bringing breakfast. She gave a warning look to Jay and both sat at the little patio table as the maid arranged the food. Once the coffee was poured and the maid was gone, Iris began again.

"My people are wary of you and the others, Jay. They haven't had time to process what happened to you. They sure as hell aren't happy with Ram being here. My popularity with the people is everything. Can't you see that?"

He was silent for a long minute, sipping his coffee with a thoughtful expression. "I can't understand you at all, Iris," he said finally.

"Have you ever read about the ancient kings and queens?" Iris asked.

Jay shook his head.

"The smart ones all knew that it wasn't their supposedly divine blood that kept them on their thrones," she explained. "It was the people. Many royals were usurped by others, simply because they lost their popularity and the people refused to stand by them. I don't want that to happen to me. If it happens, the city will be thrown into chaos. If they see that they can overthrow me, no other ruler after me will be safe again, any rules or regulations they make for the people's own good will never be followed. I cannot lose my place."

"So you are afraid of what people will say?"

She nodded. "I am. And not just the people. My Council are my good friends. I don't want to disappoint them, and I will if this goes anywhere. I especially don't want to hurt . . ." Her voice trailed off.

Jay was alert at once. "Hurt who?" he asked, stiffening.

Iris looked away. "No one. Forget about it."

"You mean Malik, don't you?"

She sighed and nodded. "Yes. We were together once. I broke it off with him, and he has never gotten over that. He still loves me."

Jay swallowed hard. "I . . . I understand." He smiled sadly. "This is why I love you so much. You are a great leader, a great person."

Iris stared at him, surprised at his acquiescence. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "We can still be friends?"

She nodded back. "Of course."

Jay stood up, pushing his plate away. "Then I think I'll go back to my room. I want to look over the map and make some plans for the guards."

Iris watched him go, still wary about his sudden acceptance of her decision.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

"We would like permission to schedule the naming ceremony, Your Majesty," Ved told Iris.

She smiled down at him as he knelt next to Cloe, both with the glow of parenthood obvious on their faces. "Of course, Ved," Iris said, beckoning Salene forward, who stood at the door holding both babies. Salene moved aside the blankets covering the babies' faces so Iris could see them. "They are beautiful," Iris smiled.

"Aren't they?" Salene asked, smiling as if they were her own children.

Iris' smile faltered as she thought of Amber giving birth to Jay's baby. The moment passed fleetingly and she turned her attention back to the babies. "Have you decided upon a date?"

"In three days, if that is all right," Ved said with a huge grin.

Iris nodded. "That will be acceptable." She smiled at Cloe and touched the young girl's cheek. "Motherhood suits you, Cloe."

Cloe blushed and looked down at the floor, a tiny smile on her face. "Thank you, My Queen."

"Then it is settled," Iris said firmly. "Three days from now." She waited until the three had gone before walking back up to her chair. Moments after she sat, the doors to the room slammed open and Malik strode in, his expression like a thunderstorm. "What in God's name is the matter, Malik?" Iris cried, leaping from her chair.

"You slept with Jay? _You deny me your bed but you slept with Jay?_"

Iris swallowed hard as she stepped down from the dais. "You forget yourself."

He stepped up to her and grabbed her upper arms painfully. "Don't do this to me, Iris. I want you!"

She jerked away from him, stared at the bruises appearing on her arms and then slapped his face. "How dare you! I . . ."

The doors opened once more. Both Iris and Malik turned to see Trudy standing there, holding her daughter. "Is . . . is this a bad time?"

"Of course not," Iris said, giving a warning glance to Malik. He snorted once before bowing and striding out.

Trudy shrank back as he passed, frightened by his expression. She turned her attention back to Iris quickly in an attempt to conceal her fear. "Queen Iris, I would like to tell you that I am leaving the hotel."

"What do you mean, Trudy?" Iris asked, smiling at Brady.

"Bray has asked for my help in caring for Skye. He invited me to live with him."

Iris looked perplexed. "Lex's daughter?"

Trudy took a deep breath and held Brady closer. "Lex . . . refuses to care for his daughter."

"What? What happened?"

"After he saw Taisan's grave, Iris, he broke down. He wouldn't even see his daughter. He's been locked up in his room ever since."

"And Sarai?"

"He threw a candlestick at her and told her to . . . to fuck off before he killed her."

"Lex loved Taisan then? From everything I've heard about him, he likes the physical gratification more than the woman herself," Iris said, stroking a lock of Brady's hair.

"He loved Siva, in a way," Trudy answered sadly. "But Taisan . . . Taisan was everything to him. He never stopped searching for her. It was what tore him and Siva apart."

"Two women he loved, dead. How terrible."

"Three, Iris. His first wife was Zandra. She died in an explosion, pregnant with his child."

Iris stared in shock. "Does he have a curse on him, then?"

Trudy shrugged. "If it wasn't so sad, I would say yes."

Iris shook her head. "I'll see if I can talk to him. Until then . . ."

"I'll . . . we'll be living with Bray." Trudy smiled. "I think it will be good for all of us. Especially with Amber . . ."

"I understand. I'll have a wagon bring your things as soon as possible."


	31. Chapter 31

Author's Note:

I am sorry, but I am putting this story on hiatus for a while. My reasons: I haven't had any inspiration for Genesis in a long while. I feel that Iris is becoming a Mary-Sue. And I don't have the time, with all my other fics. One day I will try again, but until then . . . .


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